Summer Fling, Don't Mean A Thing
by LauraADon
Summary: Santana plans on spending her summer alone at her family's vacation home. But her dad won't let her unless she gets a job. She meets a rather interesting blonde that challenges her thoughts and views of the world around her. She realize she needs this blonde in her life but as friends or more.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I arrive at the house late in the afternoon on a Friday. Some might say evening. Six pm. I turn the car onto the dirt road that leads down to the house. Down the hill to a nicer, paved road, and to the right. It's about five houses before I spot the house that I know so well.

I am tired from the long drive but still have to get my bags out of the trunk of my car and into the house. I pull into the driveway, park the car, and kill the engine. I look up at the house in front of me and smile. It's gonna be a great summer.

The place looks great. My dad puts a lot of work into the house when he is here. That isn't very often but he really keeps it in good condition. He will be back in about a week for Memorial Day Weekend so he will most likely be doing stuff around the house and getting ready for the summer season.

But enough about the house for now. The nearly eight hour drive was exhausting and all I want to do is plop down in bed and sleep until about ten tomorrow morning. But responsibility is calling me. That was one of the conditions that I have to follow if I want to spend the summer here. I need to be responsible for myself and my belongings. I need to be responsible and bring my suitcases in the house. Then as promised I have to call my dad. To check in with him and tell him that I made it here safely. That everything in the house is in order and that I am all good to go.

After that is all finished I can get something to eat and a shower. Then, finally, after all of those things are complete I can hop in bed and sleep.

Sounds like a fun-filled Friday night.

* * *

Saturday morning rolls around way too soon. I wake up groggy. I rub my eyes feeling like I didn't get enough sleep and yet at the same time too much. Oh well, it's not like I have any big plans for the day.

There are a few things that I need to do, though. First and foremost, I need to go grocery shopping. Last night in the search for something to eat I could only manage to find three cans of tomato soup and a jar of peanut butter. I had soup.

I sit up in bed and stretch out my back. The curtains are drawn but the window is open and I can hear the noise that is all too familiar to my ears.

The water laps up against the shoreline as it sways in and then back out. Without looking out I can already tell that the bay is fairly calm. There's not too much noise coming from the waves today.

I get up and go over to the window, pulling the curtains back, and looking out. As I suspected the bay is nearly flat. Beautiful as the morning sun glistens across the top of the water. Just little ripples cover the surface.

Knowing that there aren't really any options for breakfast I get dressed and start making a mental grocery list in my head. I will be responsible for stocking the fridge and the cupboards for the Memorial Weekend. My dad gave me money for food and expects to see that I followed through with that commitment.

At school I didn't have to buy groceries. Like most students I just ate in the cafeteria all the time or picked up a little something here and there from the school store. I've never had to buy groceries for the whole family and then some. It's not just my dad and mom and brother that are going to be coming here for Memorial Day. Extended family too. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. The whole dam fam.

The last time I remember going grocery shopping was when I was sixteen and went with my mom in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner. That being said, I really have no idea what to get or how much.

Heck, I figure if I don't get what my parents want then they can go buy groceries when they get here. With a shrug of the shoulders and I make my decision to get what I want.

After grocery shopping and stocking the shelves with all of my favorites I plan out the rest of my day. Important and necessary plans like spending the rest of my Saturday laying on the beach reading and tanning and listening to music. Not that my student life is particularly hard, but I could use a day of pure relaxation. After a whole day of driving yesterday I figure it's a reward.

So, I get a lounge chair out and carry it down to the beach and set up camp there. With plans of a day of pure relaxation and maybe later spending some time in the Jacuzzi I am in pure heaven.

I honestly don't know how my day could be any better than that.

* * *

The best part about this place is how beautiful it is. Not just the water or the fact that the house is on the bay. The whole surrounding area is beautiful too. There are forests and bluffs and the lake all within an hour drive from the house. The state parks in the area have so much to offer too. It's almost unbelievable and I feel luck to get to experience all of it.

I got up today with the intention of going for a drive to re-familiarize myself with the area what with not having been here since January. And at that time everything was covered with snow. It's so different in the winter than in the summer. It's not like in Ohio. This is Wisconsin, they actually have winter.

My family spends their summers here. Door County, Wisconsin. It's our summer home or some might say vacation home. But I like to call it the home away from home. It's a great place, right on the Bay of Green Bay. It's only about twenty minutes from the city but it's not isolated at all. The whole shoreline is littered with houses. It's a great location. The perfect location.

I was actually thinking of going to the tip of the peninsula on my drive today. Like the very tip of Door County, where you can't physically drive any further unless you have one of those amphibious vehicles and can drive straight into the water. But I don't have one of those so I will only be driving on dry land. Sadly, that won't be happening today. I have too many other places on my list that I want to go to to make a trip up there. There is all summer though. Three months should be enough time to work in a trip to the tip.

* * *

Today's goal for me is to look around the area for a summer job. It is another one of my dad's conditions. In exchange for him letting me live here by myself for most of the summer is to get a job and keep that job. Dad said he isn't going to be paying for his daughter to live at our summer home so I have to get a job to buy what I need. Food, gas, etc. I don't want to have to get a job but if I want to stay here than I need to. I've only had one other job in my short life. The last two summers I was a fry cook at a restaurant in Lima. But I only worked part time. I don't want to say that I'm a spoiled little rich girl but my parents have money so I never really needed a job for money. I'd just asked my mom for money to go to the mall and she would give it to me. Since I've been in college though things have been different. No more hand outs from mommy and daddy. If I wanted something I had to work for it. Something about me being responsible and adult and working for the things I want or need.

So job searching begins. I plan on stopping at all the local gas stations and restaurants to see if they are hiring. I know gas station attendant or waitress aren't glamorous jobs, but I don't need glamour, I need something to pay my expenses. When my dad shows up at the end of the week he will expect that I have a job. And I need to prove to him that I can be a responsible adult. I need a job asap.

The job search has lasted the whole morning so far. Well, since nine am actually. I slept in. And I haven't had much luck though. I've been to just about every grocery store, gas station, and restaurant in the area. I filled out multiple applications for multiple places and they all told me the same thing - we'll call you. I'm not too optimistic about this whole job search thing anymore.

I'm hungry and deflated and I just want to go home. There is one last place that I want to stop at though. Give them my resume and fill out an application. See what happens.

I pull into the parking lot. It's full of cars and trucks. That's a good sign. At least I know they have good business here. It a small little diner on the highway just outside of a small little town. I'm seriously hoping they are hiring.

I've seen this place once of twice before and thought of it and put it on my list of places to stop at to find a job. My stomach grumbles as I climb out of my car. Maybe I will get something to eat while I'm here.

Just inside the door is the cash register and a woman in a white apron stands behind it. "Hi." I say when I approach her. "I was wondering if you were hiring?"

The woman looks me up at me from what she is doing and eyes me up and down for a second. "Have you ever waitresses before?"

"No." That's probably not good. But I can't lie to her and tell her that I have when I haven't.

"Okay. Maybe in the kitchen?" She says as a second thought.

"I would like to waitress, if possible. I'm a quick learning." I tell her with my most charming smile.

"Okay, well, here's an application. Fill it out and I will give it to the boss." She instructs.

"Okay. Thanks." I take the application and step off to the side. It takes me a few minutes but I fill it out completely. It wasn't a lengthy application by any means but I wanted to take my time with it and fill it out to the best of my ability. I kind of like this place and I've only just walked in the door. It has a good, homey, vibe to it. And I like that. I could see myself working here for sure.

I handed the completed application back to the woman who's name tag said Janet and then took a seat at one of the open stools at the counter. I look around the diner. It's cute and quaint. It's gives me a warm, welcomed feeling to this little town that I've only been to maybe twice in my lifetime.

I've never eaten here before and as I'm sitting here I don't know why that is. This place is lovely. The people are friendly and I feel good about sitting here by myself. About to enjoy a meal with complete strangers to it feels totally normal.

The diner is busy. Customers keep coming and going. This must be their lunchtime rush. The bell above the door keeps chiming each time it opens and people in and out.

I'm looking around the room observing all the different types of people in here - some young but more of the customers are of an older age.

"Is this seat taken?" The words float into my left ear. I turn to look at the person that said them. A girl - or maybe I should use the word woman - is standing to my left gesturing to the stool that is directly next to me. A friendly smile graces her face as she waits for my response.

I shake my head gently. "Nope." I can't help but smile back at her.

"Great." The girl nearly cheers and then sits down.

There are a few other open seats in the restaurant. One open booth and three open stools at the counter but this woman apparently decided that she needed to sit next to me. Not that I have a problem with it but a teeny tiny part of me wished she would have chosen another place to sit.

"What brings you in here this afternoon?" The waitress asks the girl next to me as she sets a menu down in front of her.

"Oh. It's Jerry's birthday so the whole crew is meeting here for lunch." The girl tells the waitress.

I look down and to my left a little. I'm intrigued at what she means by 'crew'. Looking for any clues that might help me I take in her appearance. First of all, she is wearing boots, work boots. I glance up her body and see jeans and a cut-off t-shirt. She has a pair of sunglasses perched on the top of her head. And I don't know how I missed this when she asked me about the seat next to me but she has the most golden blonde hair that I have ever seen and it's tied up in a tight ponytail.

I don't know for what 'crew' she works but at first glance I would say construction worker, or roofer, or carpenter, or something related to one of those things.

"So, you get a special lunch today?" The waitress says with a chuckle. They must know each other pretty well.

"Yeah, no bologna sandwich for this girl today." The girl giggles. I find myself smiling at her. Well, not at her because my head is ducked slightly so that I don't look like I am creeping on their conversation but I am smiling because of her. To myself of course so no one can see it. "I'll order with everyone else when they get here, Sally." She adds.

"Okay." The waitress says. "I gotta go refill Bob's coffee. Wave me down when the birthday boy gets here."

"Will do." The blonde girl next to me says with a nod. "So, I don't think I've ever seen you in here before?"

The hear her voice again and realize that this girl is address me. I look up at her. "I've never been here before." I admit.

"Hmm." She hums with a smile. "I figured. I know I would have remember seein' a pretty girl such as yourself in here. I'm Brittany." She extends her right hand and I can feel the heat on my cheeks. Did she just-?

I hold out my hand. "Santana." I say shyly.

"Not from around here?" The blonde, Brittany, questions.

"Uh, not exactly. It's a long story." I tell her thinking that she probably isn't interested or doesn't care as to how and why I am sitting here this diner for the very first time.

"I like stories." She grins at me.

"Uh. Well, basically I came in here looking for a job." I tell the girl. "A summer job."

"Oh." She says and then there is an awkward silence between us. Does she expect me to tell her more? We are strangers wouldn't that be - strange.

"I'm in college. Well, not right now cuz it's summer but-" She giggles and I feel like such an idiot.

"College, got it." She nods and tilts her head to the side, raising her left hand up and puts the palm to her cheek holding her head up.

"This is weird." I mumble and duck my head.

"Why?" I hear her ask a certain innocent curiousness to her voice.

I'm afraid to look at her. "Because we're strangers."

"Hmm." She hums and I can't help but pick my head up to look at her again. She is smiling again. And it gives me that warm, welcoming feeling again. "Think of it as strangers getting to know each other so that they aren't strangers anymore."

"If not strangers, then what?" I ask. We are definitely not friends but if we aren't strangers than what are we?

"Not quite strangers but not quite friendly. Maybe something like stranger-adjacent." She smiles wider.

"You're a very friendly person, aren't you?" I comment.

"I try." She takes her hand from her cheek and looks around the room before her eyes return to me. "I try to be friendly to everyone I meet and everyone I know. You never know when someone is having a bad day and a few kind words could totally change their whole day around."

"Brittany." A woman, that appears seemingly out of nowhere, on her other side, says.

She turns to the woman. "I'll be over in a minute." She tells the mid-aged woman and turns back to me. "I gotta go but it was very nice to meet you Santana. I hope we run into each other again. Have a great rest of your day." She stands and pats me on the shoulder and then leaves.

I watch as she walks across the room over to a table that is starting to fill with people. I can't help the smile that stretches across my face.

"There's your meal." The waitress draws my attention back to the area directly in front of me. She sets the plate down and I thank her.

I start on my meal. French fries and one of the best cheeseburgers I've ever had. Seriously though, it's great. I am definitely gonna be coming back here for more burgers this summer. Maybe I'll get a job here and be able that eat this yummy food whenever I want.

I have my cheeseburger finished and am halfway through my fries when I hear it.

"Sally, the birthday boy is here." I look up at the sound of Brittany's voice. She is standing next to a table in the corner and waving Sally the waitress over. She has her hand on a man's shoulder. When I pictured the birthday boy I assume he was a young guy maybe in his late teens or early twenties and a man that looks like hes in his sixties.

"Jerry!" The waitress says excitedly. "Happy Birthday!" She lights a candle that is sticking out of the top of a cupcake and then brings it over to the table in the corner. "I would sing happy birthday but I know you wouldn't like that so I'll just give you your little birthday sweet here." She sets the cupcake down on the table. The man, Jerry, takes a seat and so does the Brittany girl.

From what I can see there are five other people at the table. Two middle aged women, one of which of the woman who came to get Brittany earlier. There is a young-ish looking man and another man that most be in his fifties or sixties. Then there is another woman with blonde hair and she looks to be in her thirties.

Its an odd looking bunch but I can only assume that this is the 'crew' that Brittany was referring to earlier. There are no indications as to what this crew does and it's starting to make me more curious. What is it that connection these people all together? Are they all family? All related in some way? Three of them have blonde hair, so maybe.

"Make a wish, Jer." The middle aged woman with curly blonde hair says.

The birthday boy blows out the candle. "There." He has in huff. It's clear that he doesn't like all this birthday attention. He's probably one of those people who could care less if it's there birthday. It's just another day that happens to be the day that makes him a year older. His birthday wish was probably for everyone to stop mentioning his birthday and making a big deal out of it.

"So what can I get you to eat for your birthday? Something special?" Sally asks.

"No. I'll have the turkey dinner." He tells the woman. She writes it down on her little pad and then goes to take everyone elses order.

"You gonna finish those or do you want a box?" A voice in front of me breaks me out of watching the birthday celebration and the intriguing table of people that surround it.

I look down at me plate. About half of the fries remain, maybe a little less. I'm done eating. "Can I get a box?" I ask.

"Sure thing, dear." Janet says with an amused smile.

"What?" I ask, I can tell she has something to say to me.

"Oh, nothing, just you seem rather caught of with the group at the table in the corner. You know them?"

I bow my head. Busted. "No." I shake my head.

She chuckles and turns to leave. "I'll get that box for you."

I am completely perplexed by her and what she said. Janet. The one that took my application. I hope this doesn't affect my getting a job here. I have other places that I applied at but something in me wants to work here, hopes to work here.

* * *

**Okay so that's the first chapter. I have lots planned for this story. It's kind of a tribute to the area that I live in (Green Bay, WI and Door and Kewaunee Counties). Drop a review and tell me if you like it so far. Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

_This chapter is a little look into Brittany's life. Hope you enjoy. And with any luck I will have the next chapter up in a couple days._

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"Good morning." I say as brightly as I can at seven o'clock in the morning.

"Mornin'." My boss parrots automatically. It's like this every morning. The same thing, the same routine. We show up at seven and says good morning to each other and get about our business.

"So, what are we doing today?" I ask. It's early but I'm ready to get started. I always say, 'you can't get anything done if you don't get up early'.

"Well, first, you are gonna go to Breezy Acres and do clean up and weeding and dead heading. Anything that needs attention, attend to it. Maintenance stuff, you know." The short, curly-haired, blonde tells me.

"Okay." I nod. Sounds easy enough. Well, it's easy for me.

"We have to get the place ready before the Memorial Day Weekend. The family is coming up to spend the weekend there. They're coming on Friday, so it has to be done before then." She explains further.

"Okay. So, there's nobody there now?" I ask. I've been surprised in the past when I've thought nobody was home and then out of nowhere someone comes up behind me and scares the shit out of me. It's nice to know if there is a possibility of someone sneaking up on me. That way I can try and keep an eye out.

"Actually, he said his daughter is there but she probably won't come outside. And you don't have to go to the door."

"Okay. And then what? I'm sure that won't take all day. What's Eric doing today? He still working on that wall?"

"Yeah. I talked to him last night, he thinks he should be done with that wall today and then he can move on to the next project. But, you can just come back here and we can do some work out at my land." My boss tells me and I nod along with the information. She has some property that we plant vegetables and trees and other things at. It's about ten minutes from here down by the river.

"Alright." I turn and go to get everything that I need for my first job of the day.

I grab everything I might need and throw it all on the truck. I double check to make sure that I have everything before I leave. "See ya later." I yell across the parking lot and then hop in my truck. I hear a muffled 'yep see ya later Brittany' from my boss.

I start driving- it's about a twenty minutes drive away- and thinking about the tasks that lie ahead of me. All fairly easy. A light day, in my opinion. Well, at least the morning will be. I'm not exactly sure what my boss has in store for me when I return to the nursery. Part of me doesn't want to know.

I turn the radio up to drown out the thoughts in my head. Not that they are bad or unpleasant thoughts or anything like that but I just love driving around with the radio on. For me driving is relaxing and calming. And add some great tuneage to that, all the better.

I know my boss thinks it's weird, but I like listening to the classical rock station. I know all the songs even if they were from when I was a baby or before I was born. I told her I like them so much because it's what my parents listened to and played in the car when I was little. It's the first music I was every introduced to. She just laughed and said that makes sense.

The drive goes fast and soon I am descending a hill and rounding the corner and I arrive at the house.

I get out of the truck and do a quick walk around the yard assessing what needs to be done. Weeds need to be pulled, a couple boxwoods need to be pruned, there are some tulips and daffodils that are done flowering and need to be cut off. It's a simple job but it will take me at least two hours maybe three.

It's a beautiful day. No, check that, it's a perfect day, in my opinion. The sun is shining, there isn't a cloud in the sky, there's a light breeze, and the high temperature today is expected to be in the low seventies. Perfect. I smile and get to work.

Oh, and there's a great view of the water from the backyard of the house.

* * *

Two hours and forty five minutes later I finish my job. I put my five gallon pail and pruner back in the truck. Everything seemed to go pretty well except for one thing. And that's what has me going to the front door. I found a little problem and want to see if I can alert someone to that problem. Otherwise I have to go back to my boss and tell her and then she has to contact the homeowner and discuss it with them. Sometimes it's just easier to get it taken care of right away.

I get to the front door and ring the door bell and wait. My boss said the homeowner's daughter was staying here but that doesn't mean that she's home right now. I look around as I wait. There is a car in the driveway but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

There is a robin in a tree in the front yard singing a tune and on the road an older couple with a dog are walking by. I wave at them and smile. They wave back. I hear the front door open as I am waving.

"Hi, I just wanted to let you know-" I start but stop when I finally swivel around to get a glimpse of the person at the door. "Holy crap." I blurt with wide surprised eyes. It takes a few seconds for me to process everything but when I do my eyes return to their normal size and a silly smile takes over my face. "So, we meet again." I says to an equally surprised, if not more, Santana.

When I said I hoped to see her around again I wasn't sure that was actually a possibility or that it would happen so soon. It's only been two days since we met at the diner.

Santana is standing there with wide, shocked eyes just staring at me. Plus, she looks like she just got up. Her hair is all disheveled and she doesn't have any make-up on, not that she had a lot on the other day but I can still tell the difference. She is wearing a sweatshirt and teeny, tiny shorts. I can't help my eyes as they rake down the girl's body appreciating her tan, tan legs. My eyes return to hers and I think she blinks for the first time.

Santana crosses her arms over her chest attempting to cover herself up. Did she catch me looking at her body? Did I make her uncomfortable? Don't get me wrong the girl- woman- has a great body. Well, what I've seen of it. She definitely has great legs but I don't want to make her uncomfortable or have her think I've perving on her, although, I sort of am.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up-" I look down at my watch and see that it is after ten-thirty. That's kinda late to be sleeping. But, I shouldn't judge, I don't know her. Maybe she was up half the night or see had to work a late shift or something like that. "-but there-" I start to explain why I'm at her door but she cuts me off.

"What are you doing here?" She asks. Her voice sounds scratchy and dry from lack of use.

"Well, as I was just about to say, I found a little problem over there." I point behind myself to one of the landscaped flower beds in the front yard. "There are a bunch of box elder bugs on the daylilies. I wanted to let someone know about it before I left. I didn't know if anyone would be home or not. But, I wanted you to know so you can take care of it. You or somebody. Can you pass the message on to the homeowner?"

"You mean my dad?" She asks with confusion.

"If he's the one that owns the property. Then yes." I nod.

"And what's the problem?" She asks. I just told her what the problem is but I know a lot of people don't understand what I'm saying when I'm talking in my landscape language. I'll have to approach this a different way.

"Would you like me to show you?" She nods. "Okay." I turn and start walking over to where the little bugs are. I stop and look over my shoulder to see her coming up behind me in her bare feet. I kneel down on the ground and pull the leaves back revealing a grouping of bugs. "This is the problem. These little guys are box elder bugs. And they have taken over this area." I put my hand out and touch the soil, some of the bugs crawl up onto it. I hold them up towards Santana for her to get a better look.

"Eeehhh." She grimaces and takes a step back.

I smile at her reaction. Cute. "They are harmless, well, unless you are a box elder or maple or ash tree. But, if you don't want them around I suggest you guys get a trap and that should take care of most of them. They just eat box elder seed pods and sometimes leaves. They aren't going to damage these dayliles. I'm not sure why they are swarmed around them actually. They just make the bed look kinda messy." I look up to Santana from where I was watching a bug crawl up the inside of my arm.

"Right." Santana says with a tight smile.

"You can get a trap or just leave them be. It's up to you but I wanted to let you know."

"Well, thanks. I guess." She says and tilts her head to the side. "So, what are you, like, some bug experts or-?"

I chuckle and shake my head.

"Then why are you in my yard?" Is her next question.

"I am a landscaper- among other things. And I am in charge of the maintenance of the planting beds in your yard." I say with a proud smile. And I am. I'm proud of the work that I do.

"Oh." She mumbles. I stand up and flick the three bugs that are still crawling around on my arm off. I turn to her so that we are face to face.

"Today I came by to make sure everything looked great. My boss said that your family is coming for the Memorial Day weekend. I pulled any weeds that there were and I pruned back the boxwoods, did some other dead heading and clean up stuff too."

"Okay." She says slowly, looking around the yard as if to see what I had done. Honestly, a lot of people don't even know when I come to there house and neaten things up. A lot of people are pretty clueless, but hey, they want us to take care of their plantings and that's what we do. "Oh, over there. You made those bushes smaller and rounder."

"Shrubs. Boxwoods. Yes." I confirm for her. Silently impressed that she actually noticed.

"That's so cool. How'd you do that? They look perfectly round, kinda like gumdrops." She turns back to look at me with a big impressed smile, waiting for my answer.

I smile. This is one of the best parts of my job- making people smile just because of improving there yard and making it look good. "I just take my pruner and cut back the older growth from the middle, and thinned them out a little, and then rounded them off."

"They look great." She sounds in awe.

"Thanks. If you don't have any other questions I should get going. Work to do, ya know." I shrug as if it's nothing.

"Are you going to make someone else's yard look really good too?"

"No." I shake my head lightly. "I'm not actually sure what I will be doing the rest of the day but I know it's not gonna be yard maintenance stuff. Probably prepping the boss's garden for planting."

"Oh. Well-" A phone starts ringing. It's not my phone so it must be Santana's. The noise is coming from the front pocket of her sweatshirt. She smiles apologetically at me and pulls her phone out of her pocket and answers it. I get the hint and grab my shovel and leaf rake that were still laying on the lawn and put them in the bed of the truck.

Santana is back at the front door when I get back to my truck after making one final lap around the yard to make sure I didn't forget anything. I have forgotten my shovel on a couple of occasions at jobs and didn't realize it until the next day. It's hard to use a shovel when you don't have it.

I hop in the truck and start the engine and put the vehicle in reverse so I can back out of the driveway. I look one last time at the house and Santana is standing there in the doorway. The phone still to her ear. I wave and smile. She waves back and I turn in my seat to look behind me and back out the driveway.

* * *

I get back to the landscape nursery and pull into the front driveway. Jerry is standing over one of the many water hoses that we have just laying around. He's filling up jugs of water to take out into the field to water trees that were just planted recently.

When I say my boss that's my boss Mary. The short, curled-haired, blonde but I guess Jerry is also my boss. Mary is in charge of the jobs that our company does and Jerry runs the nursery and takes care of all of the plants. Either one or both of them have work for me to do. Mostly I am out on 'the road' working on jobs. But, our home base is at the nursery and I do work there too. Mary is the one who signs my paychecks though so I think of her as my main boss.

I park and get out of the truck. "Hey, Jerry." I say as I walk over to him. He wasn't here this morning when I first should up to work and he wasn't back from wherever he was before I left.

"Hi." He says without looking up from the jug that he is filling with water. "How was the job?"

"Good. It was mostly weeding and pruning." I shrug. I don't need to explain it to him anymore than that. He knows what I mean when I say weeding and pruning.

"Well, we've _actually_ been working here." He says and finally looks up at me with a sly little grin on his face.

I know am about to hear it. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." He nods and returns to filling jugs. "We dug a trench for the new water line."

I nod in understanding. I know all about that project. Jerry has been putting it off for weeks. He kept saying he was waiting for me to dig the trench. And I would've done it, but I've been too busy. It's wasn't going to be an easy job. The trench needed to be dug six inches down and go all the way across the length of the back driveway through compacted gravel.

I lean against the building with my shoulder. "Wow." I can't help but comment. "That must have been fun." I say sarcastically.

"Tons." He grumbles. "Wish you were here."

"I bet." I grin and he looks at me and rolls his eyes. "So, where's Mary?"

Jerry shuts off the water and caps the last jug of water. "She's out at her land putting the netting on the blueberry enclosure. She should be back at lunch time."

"So, she skipped out on the trench then?"

He chuckles. "Yeah, Sara and I worked on it- by ourselves."

Sara is Jerry's assistant, so to speak. She works at the nursery with him. She waters the plants and does whatever else that needs to be done.

"You can load these onto my truck. Sara is watering. You and I can take these out to the field and water the new trees."

"Okay." Looks like I will be working with Jerry until lunch. Which is fine by me. He's a fun guy to be around most of the time. He's old but I like him. We have a strange little relationship where it seems that we tease, and kid, and make fun or each other whenever we find the opportunity.


	3. Chapter 3

**As promised here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Santana's POV_

"Yeah. Sure. Uh-huh. Got it. Saturday at one. I'll be there." I say into the speaker of the phone. "Thank you for this opportunity. I really appreciate it."

I say goodbye and hang up the telephone. I place the device back in my pocket for safe keeping before I do what I am gonna do next. Which is jump up and down with my fists in the air like an excited little kid.

That call was from the owner of the diner that I was at the other day. The one I had lunch at and applied to. I got the waitress job. I start Saturday at one and I couldn't be more excited. I know witnessing isn't a very exciting profession. Heck, I don't want to make it my profession I just want a summer job. Actually, I need a summer job and I feel like this is the one I need.

I have one of my dad condition for living here accomplished. And that one condition really makes it easy for me to follow and accomplish any and all conditions that my dad may have.

I have to call him and tell him the good news.

I take a deep breath to calm myself and pull out my phone. I pause and look around at my surroundings. It isn't until now that I realize that I am still standing at the front door of the house with it hanging wide open. I look over myself and what I am wearing- short pajama shorts and a sweatshirt- and remember someone else looking over my attire not too long along. I look to the yard and think over what just happened only a few minutes ago.

A blonde girl in baggy jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt and work boots trying to explain to me about the bugs in the flower bed in the front yard. It seems like so long ago, especially after that phone call, but she was here in my yard not five minutes ago.

Brittany.

I shake the thoughts of her from my head and hit speed dial number 2 on my phone. My dad answer right away.

"Hi, dad I have some very exciting news…"

* * *

It's Friday. And am up and ready for my day. It's a busy one too. My family is coming up today. Dad said they were leaving at six am so they should be here between two and three this afternoon. That gives me just over four hours to do everything that needs to be done. I need to go to the grocery store again. My mom sent me a list of groceries that she needs for today and tomorrow until she can get to the store for herself. After that I need to clean the house, not that it's dirty or messy, but I tend to leave stuff laying around especially when I'm all by myself. So, I have to pick up my little messes and then my dad wants me to open up the garage and back the big van out so when they arrive he can park the car in there. We keep a van that seats eight people legally (more illegally) for when the whole family is here and we need to move larger numbers of bodies.

My mom and my dad and my brother Roberto are coming on today. And on Saturday the rest of the family is coming. My dad's brother and this wife and their three kids and my Abuela is traveling with them too.

I will be working my first shift at the restaurant when they all arrive. Part of me is glad because I get to miss that hectic time but another part of me wants to be there when they arrive and greet and hug each and every one of them. And a third part of me doesn't care because I am too excited about starting my new job.

* * *

The shopping and cleaning went off without a hitch. The house looks great. I got the van out of the garage. The food is all put away. Even the yard looks great thanks to landscaper Brittany. I am just waiting on the fam to pull in. My dad called and said they were taking the exit from Green Bay which was about fifteen minutes ago, meaning they will be here any minute now.

I don't know why I'm nervous. I think I just want to impress my mom and dad with showing them that I can be responsible and take care of myself.

Not two minutes later a hear the sound of a car door. I jump from my seat in the living room and go to the front door in a hurry. I throw the door open and step out onto the stone patio. "You're here."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. Yes, Santana. We have arrived." My mom says mockingly.

I roll my eyes. "Fine. You're not getting a hug now." I cross my arms over my chest and make my way over to the car.

"Get your little butt over here, Santana." My mom demands. I know that I am not gonna get away without a welcome hug so I go over to where she is standing at the trunk of the car. "I will always get my hug." She says and wraps her arms around me. I don't reciprocate out of annoyance.

"How have you been, Santana?" My dad asks as he lifts the bags out of the trunk. "Roberto, get out of the car and come get your bag. I am not carrying it in the house for you, you lazy bum." He directs at my brother.

"I'm fine, daddy. Everything is going well. I went shopping and cleaned the house today."

"Good." He nods his head once. "I see the van started alright."

"It did. Started right up." I confirm.

"Good." He nods again. He's a man of few words, well, unless you get him drunk then he never shuts up but that doesn't happen very often. "Roberto, what did I just say?" My dad half yells.

It's the first of Roberto I've really seen yet. His tired looking face pops out from the door of the backseat. "Hey, baby sister." He says with his signature grin.

"Hi, Robbie." He hates when I call him that. It's his nickname from when he was a little kid and he says he has outgrown it and would like to be called Roberto or Robert or Rob.

"Hey." He whines. "What did I say about that?" He steps out of the car and comes to the rear were the whole family is congregated now.

"That you don't like it."

"Exactly, so don't use it- kiddo." He says and ruffles my hair.

"No." I duck away from him. "If I can't use Robbie then you can't use kiddo. That's not fair." It's my turn to whine about nicknames.

"Life's not fair baby sister." Robbie grins and grabs his bag from the trunk.

"Dad." I groan hoping he will say something to Robbie to make him stop.

"I'll be in my room." Roberto calls on his way to the front door.

"Santana, just leave it be. He's stubborn and you're stubborn. There's no fighting it. Your dad's the same way. I learned that long ago. Now lets go in the house and catch up." My mom tells me and I can't help but huff out a annoyed breath of air. The thing is- she's right.

I follow after her towards the house.

"Santana, the yard looks great. Do you know if the landscapers stopped by?" Dad asks from behind me.

I turn and smile at him thinking of the specific landscaper that was in our yard the other day. "Yep. They were here. There is one thing I have to show you though. Over there in the bed closet to the road are some-"

"Santana, lets go." My mom yells from inside the front hallway of the house.

"You better go. You can tell me or show me later." Dad says and nods towards the house. "Go, before your mother has a conniption fit."

"Okay." I turn back towards the house. "Wait." I turn back around to my dad. "Do you need help with that?" I point at the two bags he has in his hands.

"No, dear, I've got it. Just go." He smiles his warm daddy smile that he saves just for me. I smile back before turning around and running into the house.

* * *

It's dark outside. And kinda cold now that I think about it. There's a bonfire but I am sitting too far away for it to keep me warm. "I'm gonna run and grab a sweatshirt." I say to anybody who is listening.

"Okay, dear." My mom says in response and then returns to her conversation with the neighbor.

I leave the circle of chairs that sit around the fire and run up the beach to the steps, up the steps to the grass, over the grass to the back patio, and in the house. There's a sweatshirt laying on the back of the couch in the family room so I grab that. It's the first thing I see and I am too lazy to go upstairs to my room and get a sweatshirt from there.

When I return to the bonfire there are a few less people there then before. "Where'd the neighbors go?" I ask.

"Home, it's getting late Santana." She informs me like I don't know this.

"I know. I was just wondering if they left for the night or if maybe they went to get another drink or to go to the bathroom or something." I explain my theories to her.

"No, they have turned in for the night. And, I think, I am going to take their lead and do the same." My mom gets up from her white plastic lawn chair. "When will you be up, Antonio?"

"A few minutes, sweetie. I just want to talk to the kids for a little while." He says. That can't be good. Anytime my dad says something like that it usually mean he is going to scold us or warn us about our behavior or something along those lines.

"Okay." My mom leans down and presses a kiss to his cheek.

A silence takes over the area as my mom walks up to the house from the beach. I watch her as she goes. She never even turns to look at us. She just walks straight to the house and goes inside. As soon as the sliding glass door shuts my dad opens his mouth to speak. I look to my brother nervously but he stares straight ahead not looking at me or our dad.

"You two will be on your best behavior tomorrow. All week actually. I know you are both adults now but your three cousins aren't. They are young and impressionable yet. I don't need you two teaching them curse words or anything of that nature. Do you understand?"

"Yes, daddy." I say.

"Got it." Robbie say at the same time. "No dirty jokes, no swear words, no goofing off, no risky behavior. I will be the best son you've ever had."

"You're the only son he has, you idiot." I squawk.

"Santana." My dad warns. "This is the sort of thing I'm talking about."

"Sorry, dad." I cower in my chair. I hate it when my dad yells at me. I'm a daddy's girl, obviously, and I don't want to do anything to upset him.

"It's fine. Just you two behave around your cousins." I nod and I can see Robbie nodding too out of the corner of my eye. "I'm going to bed now. You know what to do." He says gesturing to the fire.

"I'll make sure it's out before I go up." Robbie says.

"Good man." My dad says and stands from his chair with a little wobble. He has had a good amount to drink tonight but I didn't think it would affect him that much. He steadies himself and starts walking to the house. "Goodnight." He calls over his shoulder as he ascends the stairs from the beach.

"Soooo?" Robbie drags out.

"What?" I wish he would just cut to the chase. I don't have time for his games. Not tonight. I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow.

"How have you been little sis?" He grins his signature grin. I wouldn't say it's quite devilish or evil but more like he knows something that I don't. That's how I would describe it. It's a little unnerving.

"Fine." I shake my head at him. He and I don't talk often. He's three years older than me and in Graduate School. He's a busy guy. He works too so he doesn't have much time to talk- not that we ever really talked to each other when we were teenagers. And I'm busy with stuff too. School and stuff. "Why?"

"I just want to know how my baby sister is. What she is up to? How college is going? That sort of thing. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No." There's nothing wrong with it but this is awful odd behavior for Robbie. He hardly ever asks me anything about my life. "What's your angle?"

"No angle." He puts his hands up in defense. "How are things with your friends, good?"

"They're fine."

"Quinn?"

"She's good. She's gonna come visit me this summer." I smile at the thought of my best friend coming to visit for a week. Hopefully I can get a little time off work or at least not be working everyday that she is here. That would suck and would make me a shitty friend.

"What about Puck?" Robbie asks.

"Puck?" I blanch.

"Yeah, ya know, your boyfriend." Robbie grins again.

I realize now that this iswhat he was getting at all along. I stand up from my seat. "I'm going to bed."

"What? Santana, we are having a conversation. Where are you going? I was just asking about Puck. I want to know how the guy is doing? Is that so awful." Robbie stands up and that's when I start moving. "Hey." He yells after me as I rush up the beach to the house.

I haven't hardly thought about Puck the whole time I've been here. And I don't want to start thinking about him now.

* * *

One pm.

Saturday.

My first shift at the diner.

"Hello Santana, I'm Shannon." I big burly woman extends her right hand towards me.

"It's nice to meet you." I say politely and shake her hand.

"Right. Let's get you to work. Follow me." She spins on her heels and follow her into the kitchen area of the diner.

* * *

Several hours, a number a mistakes, and nearly three mental breakdowns later if finally feel like I have some idea as to what I am doing. I didn't think witnessing would be so hard.

I have screwed up two customers orders so far. I tried to carry two plastic glasses in one hand and ended up dropping them both. One of the glasses broke so I had to clean that up along with the contents that they spilled.

None of my fellow waitresses bothered to help me out either. Janet said 'we all started where you are. It's all part of the gig. You live you learn'. I couldn't do anything but huff an annoyed breath at her and roll my eyes.

I like this place but I can't wait until I learn the ropes and this waitressing thing gets easier. I hope it does, and that it won't be this frustrating forever. If I could use one word to describe my first shift so far it would be _terrible_.

"You ready for the dinner rush?" Janet appears, seemingly, out of nowhere.

"Huh?" I grunt dumbly.

"You ready for the mad rush for dinner?" Janet asks again.

"Is it gonna be really busy?" I'm kinda of nervous about the possibility of the diner being full of people and me not being able to handle it.

"Don't worry, kid. It won't be too bad. It's a Saturday, right?" She says as she wipes down the counter.

"Yeah." I nod. I don't know what it being Saturday has to do with anything.

"It tends to be less busy on a Saturday at dinner time then say on a week night."

"Oh." I say dumbly. That information isn't really helping any though.

I'm waiting and waiting for this mad rush of people. But, they never come. Either Janet was yanking my chain and trying to rile me up about it busy or customers just didn't show up. I'd bet on the first one.

There are some people in the diner. I count eleven of them. Two groups- one of three, and one of four. There is a couple in the small corner booth and two men sit singularly at separate spots at the counter.

It's not too bad. I haven't screwed up anyone's order and I haven't spilled anything. It could be worse, I guess.

The bell chimes as the door opens, alerting me to another customer. I grab some menus in preparation of greeting the person or persons. I look up and my jaw drops open.

"Catching flies?" She says with a wicked grin.

"Brittany." I mumble.

"Yes, that's my name." She takes a seat at the counter.

"Sorry. Right." I slide the menu in front of her. "Can I start you off with something to drink?" I ask trying to remember what I am suppose to be saying and doing. Serving the customer is my number one priority no matter who it might be.

"So, you got a job here then?" She asks instead of saying what she wants to drink.

"Yeah." I confirm with the slightest of nods.

"Is this your first shift?" Her grin turn into a warm smile.

"Yeah."

"How has it been so far? Do you like it?" She sounds like she honestly wants to know. Like what I say will effect her somehow.

"I don't know. It's been pretty bad so far. I messed up a bunch of orders and dropped two glasses. I panicked when I thought a ton of people were going to come in for dinner. It's been a pretty bad day." Brittany nods and I continue. "Don't get me wrong I like this place. I like the people. But I don't know if I'm cut out to be a waitress. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"Well-" She pauses and waves to someone on the other side of the room "-sorry. Everybody has nerve-wracking first days of work. If you weren't nervous I would say there's something wrong. It's normal to be anxious and nervous just try and do what you are suppose to and it will get better. Easier. In a week you will have everything down pat and you will be a pro. I promise."

I wrinkle my eyebrows at her. "You can't know that." I don't mean to sound so harsh or pessimistic but I don't see how she could say something like that.

"I don't but I also don't think it could get any worse than today. Think positive thoughts. I'll have water and a Seaburger and French Fries, please." She says without even looking at the menu.

I stand there in shock. This girl is far too much for me. She goes from talking about my shitty day to ordering her meal like it's the perfect segue. I blankly write down her order on my little pad. "Oh, and no onions, Santana. Please." I look up from writing to see her grinning at me with a toothy, goofy looking grin.

"Okay. I'll put this in and be right back with your water."

"Okay. Thanks."

I go to the kitchen and give the order to the head cook and then go to the drink machine, grabbing a cup. I hold the cup under the dispenser and push the water button. My thoughts drift back to what Brittany just said. I remember the first time we met. Me sitting at the counter- the exact stop she is sitting at now- and I remember what she said to me that day.

"_I try to be friendly to everyone I meet and everyone I know. You never know when someone is having a bad day and a few kind words could totally change their whole day around."_

She just did that for me. I was having a crappy ass day and now it's a little better. A little smile tries to fight it's way onto my face and I let it. That is until I feel something wet on my hand. I look down at it to see that the water is running over the top of the glass onto my hand. "Oh, for fuck's sake." I mumble under my breathe. I let go of the button, stopping the water flow, dumping a little of the very top of the glass so I don't spill it more.

I let my thoughts distract me and made another mess. Luckily, the drink machine caught most of the water that ran over but I will need to wipe the glass and my hand off before I bring it over to Brittany.

I get over to her and she is grinning wickedly at me. "You saw that, didn't you?"

She nods. "Yep, sure did." I feel my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. It's not the first time today. "Don't sweat it." She giggles.

I don't think I could be more frustrated with myself right now if I tried. I duck my chin to my chest and hope that she doesn't see me blushing. I see the movement out of the corner of my eye but it doesn't register in my brain what's happening.

I jolt at the contact and snap my head up to her. Her arm stretches across the counter and her hand rests gently on my forearm. "Just slow down." Brittany says in a quiet, calm voice.

I nod and takes some deep breathes. My heart rate slow considerable and I don't feel quite as frantic as I did a few seconds ago. I don't feel like I'm gonna spin out of control. I'm not sure if it's her words though, or her hand on my arm. Her thumb rubs softly over my skin and I try to concentrate on just breathing.

* * *

Everything seems easier after I took Brittany's advice. Her meal gets finished and I serve it to her without further incident. I smile at finally doing something successfully. It feels good to know that I can do this job. I can do it if I just slow my brain and heart down and just think everything through and then do it. Waitressing seems so much easier than it has all day long.

I let Brittany eat in relative peace. I check up on a few other customers and tend to a new table of three that arrived while Brittany was eating.

I'm sitting on a stool behind the counter watching and waiting for someone to need something from me. I've been watching Brittany most of the time. She is very intriguing and I don't know why. I don't know if it's her personality or the way she presents herself. I don't know if it's the clothes she is wearing or if it's the way she says hello to just about everyone who passes her.

She doesn't have on jeans and a tank top like the last time I saw her. No work boots either. It is Saturday, I suppose she doesn't have to work on the weekend like I do.

I clinking gets my attention. I shake the thoughts from my head and look around to see where the noise is coming from. Brittany. Of course. She is clicking her tongue. I squint at her. That's sort of an odd way to get someone's attention. She stops clicking and smiles. She lifts her hand in front of her face with the palm towards her, curling all finger but one. She motions for me to come over to her with her index finger in that come here gesture.

I get up and walk the few feet over to her. "Did you need something?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"When do you get off?" Her voice is considerably deeper than before. It startles me.

"W-what." I sputter.

She grins wickedly. "What time do you get done with work, Santana?" She asks in that same deep voice.

"S-seven." Why can't I speak right?

"Do you want to hang out tonight?" Brittany asks. I watch as she folds her hands on the top of the counter in front of her as she waits for my answer. She tilts her head to the said with that same grin on her face. I watch her eyes as they roam down my body. She licks her lips and returns her eyes to mine. I just stare at her. What is happening?

I don't know. I do want to hang out with her? And what does that imply? What does Brittany mean by hang out? She keeps sending me compliments and looking at my body like she wants to eat it for lunch. I don't know what I want to do. Brittany makes me feel different and I barely know her. And she barely knows me. But, at the same time nobody has ever made me feel like that. I don't even know what that feeling is but I know it feels good.

"Well?" Brittany breaks the silence that has surrounded us.

"My family is all at the house. I should go home after work." While it's the truth, it isn't quite what I want to say.

"Oh, that's right. Bummer. Maybe ano-" Brittany starts but gets interrupted by a shrill noise.

She stands up. "Sorry, I gotta go." She looks down at her side where a device is attached to the pocket of her shorts. She turns down the volume so it's just a whisper of noise.

"Is that a pager?" I blurt. I haven't seen one of those in person, ever. "Weren't those outlawed like 20 years ago?"

"Yeah." I watch as she takes a twenty out of her pocket and throws it on the counter. "I gotta go." She says again and runs out the door.

"Good luck." A customer by the door says as Brittany passes him. She jumps into her truck and speed away.

I'm left there speechless, staring out the window where Brittany's truck was parked a few seconds ago. I look back to the seat in front of me that she occupied a few seconds before that. The twenty dollar bills sits on the counter next to the plate of unfinished food. I didn't ring up her bill yet but it couldn't cost more than ten bucks. What am I supposed to do with the change? Is she coming back to get it? Is it my tip? Do I get to keep it? Why did she leave in such a hurry?

* * *

**So, what are your thoughts? Why do you think Brittany had to leave in such a hurry?**


	4. Chapter 4

**I haven't had internet for a week but I'm back now. Here is the fourth installment. I will have the next one up on either Friday or Saturday. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_Brittany's POV_

Fishing down on the river is suppose to be relaxing and fun. Today it's not. I have only caught two fish in the last three hours. And that's more frustrating than fun. It doesn't seem to be going so well today and my tummy just rumbled. Which means two things- I'm quitting fishing and going to the restaurant for something to eat.

It's early for lunch, but it's a Friday, so that's good. Friday's are the busiest at the restaurant with their traditional Fish Fry Friday's. But, I'm hoping that I'm early enough that there won't be any sort of crowd yet. I'm also hoping for something else.

I drive the ten minutes it takes to get there and pull in the parking lot. I only spot about a dozen cars, not too busy, yet.

Taking a seat at the counter I look around. A guy I know from the hardware store, Pete, nods his head when we make eye contact. I smile and nod back.

"Hey, Brittany. How's it going?" Janet's voice gets my attention. I turn to her with a smile.

"Pretty good. I can't complain. I have yet another Friday off, so that's a plus."

"Lucky girl. I wish I had a Friday off. The last one I had off was when I had to bring my husband for a colonoscopy. Not a fun Friday." She grimaces. That doesn't sound like a fun way to spend any day let alone a Friday. I grimace with her. "What can I getcha?" She pulls a little notepad and pen out of her apron pocket.

"I'll have water and the Perch plate, please." I smile my best smile.

"Alrighty. Anything else?" Janet looks up from writing and I make eye contact with her but then look away quickly. There is something else, but do I dare to ask?

I search the room. "There is one thing." Janet nods and sets her hands on her hips. The notepad still in her palm. "Is Santana working today?"

"She is." Janet confirms with what I can only describe as a sneaky smile.

I look around the room again. "Well, I don't see her. Where is she?"

"Oh, Britt." She chuckles.

"What?" I ask and Janet laughs harder. I don't get it. What's so funny to her?

"Do you have a crush?" She asks once she finally stops laughing.

Oh. I duck my head. "Maybe." It's a half-truth.

"Maybe?" She parrots.

"Fine. Yes. You caught me." I throw my hands in the hair in defeat.

"I knew it." Janet says like she was the only one to get the final Jeopardy question correct.

"Can you blame me? I mean, have you seen her."

"I have." She nods. Janet leans over the counter and whispers. "She's a very pretty girl."

"No. Janet, you don't understand." I put my hands flat on the countertop. "She's not pretty. She is all kinds of beautiful and gorgeous." I say probably I little too aggressively.

"Woah, tiger. Put your claws away, I agree with you. Okay?" She takes a step back away from the counter.

"Okay." I take a deep breathe and stare down at the counter. "It's weird. Don't tell Santana this- but I can't stop thinking about her and I've only been around her three times. I just can't help myself."

"Wow."

"What?" I look up.

"You got it bad." Janet says with a giggle and walks off towards the kitchen. I roll my eyes. "She works two ta eight." Janet yells over her shoulder as she steps into the kitchen.

I cant sit here and wait until two. First, that's creepy. Second, the restaurant with be busy for lunch and can probably use every available seat.

So, I make a plan. After lunch I will go get groceries and then go home and do chores. But, there is something in the back of my head that is telling me that I need to return to the restaurant before eight pm.

* * *

I'm on my way to a party that my friends are having when an idea pops into my head. I pull the truck into the parking lot and hop out. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner.

"Hey, Brittany." Santana says as I walk through the door.

"Hey." I say and take a seat at the counter. "How's your day been? Better than the last time I saw you in here, I hope."

"Yeah. It's okay. I hardly make any mistakes anymore. You were right." She smiles happily.

I smile. I knew she would be fine after her first couple of shifts. Santana seems like an intelligent girl. A girl who might need to do things a few times to get the hang off them but she isn't incapable in any way.

"You want something to eat tonight? We close in a few minutes and if you want something I need to get it into the kitchen right now." She explains but I knew that already. After all, I come here all the time. I know how this place works and I know when it closes.

"No thanks. I'm here for another reason, actually."

"Oh, really?" She says and scrunches her face up in confusion. "What's that?"

"I wanted to ask you something." I shrug. This seemed like a better idea in my head. Maybe she doesn't want to. Maybe I'm being too forward. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

"O-kay." She draws out.

"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to a party tonight. Well, it's more of a bonfire than a party." I give her my best grin to try and convince her to come with me.

"Hmm." Santana hums. "Well, I don't know. Are you gonna run off in a hurry like you did the last time I saw you and leave me stranded at a party with a bunch of strangers that I don't know."

"Oh." I forgot about that. It's just such a common part of my life that I don't think twice about it.

"What was that about anyway?" She folds her arms over her chest. "Why did you leave here in such a hurry last week?"

"I can explain." And she deserves an explanation.

"Okay." She raises an eyebrow waiting for my explanation.

"Well, I remember you asking about my pager-" I start and Santana nods in acknowledgement. "Okay, so that's my fire pager. I'm a volunteer firefighter."

Her jaw drops open and her arms slip from her chest, falling to her sides. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. There was a house fire about five minutes from here last Saturday evening. When we get paged we are suppose to response to every page that we can. Obviously, every volunteer can't get to every emergency, but I try to get to as many as possible when I'm not working."

Santana just stares at me so I keep talking.

"That's why I left in such a hurry. I just want to help out as much as I can. It's my way of giving back to the community."

"You're a firefighter." Santana asks. I smile and nod. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Not really. I am well trained and we don't run into burning buildings if there isn't a reason to." I tell her truthfully. Maybe it is a little dangerous, but there is danger in everything. There is danger in driving your car down the highway and people don't think twice about driving.

"Wow." She sounds impressed or awed or something along those lines.

"It's no big deal." I shrug. "So, do you want to come with me to that bonfire?"

"How can I say no after that? You are quite impressive, Brittany."

"Uh- thanks." I say uncertainly. Was that a compliment? "When are you done?" I ask even though I know the answer to that question but she doesn't know that.

Santana looks over to the wall where the clock is. "Fifteen minutes."

"Okay, I'll just wait here." I fold my hand on top of the counter and give her a tiny smile.

She tilts her head to the side and squints at me. "Where else would you wait?"

I just chuckle. She's too cute sometimes.

* * *

"We can take my truck. And then, after, I can bring you back here to pick up your car. That way you don't have to do any extra driving around." I suggest. I don't want her to have to be driving around puttting extra miles on her car just to go to a bonfire with me. Plus, I asked anyway, I should be the one driving.

"Okay. Thanks."

Santana follows me over to my truck and we get in. "Holy crap." Santana huffs as she pulls herself up into the truck.

"What?"

"It's a big step up. I'm not used to trucks." Santana says once she situated in her seat. "What kind is this?"

"Chevy." I watch her as Santana buckles her seatbelt. I don't even have the truck started yet. Safety first. I like that.

"I knew that but-" She looks up from buckling up and catches my eyes.

"Silverado." I duck my head and say.

I start up the truck and the radio blares. I quickly reach to turn it down. "Sorry." I mumble.

"It's okay. I know how it is. You're jamming' out and shut the car off and forget to turn the music down."

"Yeah." I mumble awkwardly. I still feel really dumb about it though.

"So, what is it that you are listening to?" Santana asks.

"You don't know it?" I look back to Santana. She shakes her head. "It's Meatloaf."

I look out the front window and shallow the nerves lump in my throat. I push the back button to start the song over and start singing along with the lyrics.

_I was nothing but a lonely boy  
Looking out for something new  
And you were nothing but a lonely girl  
But you were something  
Something like a dream come true._

_I was a varsity tackle and a hell of a block_  
_When I played my guitar_  
_I made the canyons rock, but_  
_Every Saturday Night_  
_I felt the fever grow_  
_Do ya know what it's like_  
_All revved up with no place to go_  
_Do ya know what it's like_  
_All revved up with no place to go_

I stop after the first two verses and look to see Santana's reaction. Her mouth is slightly parted and she isn't blinking. Was I that bad?

I panic a little. "You are gonna have to start listening to Meatloaf if we are going to be hanging out together in the future. I mean, it's must know. Meatloaf is classic." I try to cover. I honestly didn't think my singing was that bad.

She blinks for the first time in what must be thirty seconds. "I don't know about that. How much of a classic can it be if I don't know it?"

"Maybe you just don't know what good music is." I poke fun.

"Hey!" She squawks and slaps her hands on her knees. "I listen to good music." She tries to defend herself.

"Well, okay. Let's not argue about it. But, I still think you need to get acquainted with some Meatloaf." I shake my head. "I still can't believe you don't know any Meatloaf."

She shrugs.

"Ya know what. I'll let you borrow my Meatloaf cd." I offer. I really can't believe that she doesn't know any Meatloaf not even Paradise or I'd Do Anything. Has she been living under a rock her whole life?

"Okay." She whispers. I don't know if it's out of her actually wanting to borrow my cd to familiarize herself with the music or because she feels like she has to. I hope the former.

I put the truck into reverse and back out of the parking space.

* * *

"Ready?" I ask as a park the truck in the makeshift parking lot on the side of the road next to the woods.

"Yep."

"Okay, then. Let's go." I get out and wait for Santana at the front of the truck. In the distance a can already hear the sounds of voices in the woods.

"Are we going in the woods?" Santana asks when she comes up next to me.

"Yep." It takes about two minutes of walking down a trail through the woods before the fire is within sight. Santana and I walk in silence. Me with my head held high and Santana looking around at her surroundings. "Hey." I greet a guy at the edge of the party that stands by the beer and soda coolers.

"Hey, Brittany. How's it goin'?" He asks.

I look him up and down. Just to see what he chose to wear tonight- a grey t-shirt, tight straight legged blue jeans and his cowboys boots. Typical.

"I'm good. How are you? How's the wife?" I smirk and elbow him in the side.

"She's good. She had to work this evening and was tired so she decided not to come." He says looking over to the people sitting and standing around the fire. He takes a drink of his beer.

"Too bad. I was gonna give her crap about marrying your sorry ass." I joke.

"Hey." He turns his full attention to me. "She happily married me and she is happy to be with me."

"If you say so." I chuckle. He rolls his eyes. "I want to introduce you to Santana." I hike my thumb over my shoulder to where Santana stands to my right and slightly behind me. "She is in the area for the summer and doesn't know where all the fun is at, so I'm showing her."

"I can have fun." She defends lamely.

I raise an eyebrow at her. "By yourself?"

"Well-" She draws out.

"Exactly. You're gonna need me to show you a good time." I joke but no one is laughing.

I look between the two of them. "We are gonna go over there. You man the beer cooler." I point to him and then the beer. "You want something to drink?" I address Santana next but she shakes her head.

"Later, buddy." I tell him and walk away. I hear a 'later' from him as we walk towards the fire.

"Who was that?" Santana whispers at me side.

I smile. "Windpants Todd." I laugh.

"What?" She asks like she didn't hear me correctly.

"You heard me. Windpants Todd." I grin at her.

"I don't get it." Santana grumbles.

"When we were kids he wore wind pants everyday. So, I started calling him Windpants Todd. Obviously, he grew out of that trend but it's still funny."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I can't believe I dated him in the fifth grade." I laugh.

"What?" She shrieks.

"I know, right?" I point to two unoccupied seats by the fire.

* * *

We sit by the fire for a while. A few of my friends talk with us, but eventually I get bored with just sitting and staring at the fire.

I make a bold move and grab Santana by the wrist. "I want to show you something." I whisper in her ear.

She nods giving me consent. I tug her up from her wood stump seat and away from the fire.

We walk through the woods in the direction of a clearing. I have an idea and I think it will be just right for tonight. Once we get to the clearing I hear Santana gasp beside me.

There's a clearing where there aren't any trees in an area of about fifty feet. It's like the woods just ends and then starts up again fifty feet later. There's a trampoline that has been placed in the clearing. Don't ask me how it got there cuz I have no idea.

"Wow." Santana mumbles.

I walk over and climb up onto the trampoline. "Come on." I coax Santana to join me.

I look up at the stars above head as I lay down. The clearing is the perfect place to view the stars. The trees don't get in the way and you can see a good potion of the sky. Santana climbs on the trampoline and lays down next to me. She doesn't say anything and neither do I. We just lay side by side and look up at the night sky.

Eventually, I break the comfortable silence. My curiosity finally getting the best of me. "Do you go to school in Ohio?"

"No."

"But, you're from Ohio, right? My boss said that your family lives in Ohio." I roll my head to the right, to get a view of Santana's face.

"I am. We do. But, I don't go to college in the state." She grins a little, like she has a secret, still looking up at the sky.

"Where then?" I have this intense need to know. I don't where it's coming from but I need to know.

Santana rolls her head to the left and really smiles at me. "Northwestern."

My eyes light up. "Oh, Chicago."

"Yep, Chicago."

"What do you want to do this summer?" Is my next question. I want to know as much about this girl as possible.

"What do you mean?" She furrows her eyebrows at me.

"What do you want to do this summer for, like, fun? I know, I told Todd that I was gonna show you all the fun things to do, and I was serious about that."

"Oh, well, I would like to go to the tip of Door County. I've been there before with my family and loved it. Maybe go for the day or for a whole weekend." She turns her gaze away from me back to the sky. "I know it's a tourist thing to do but I want to visit all the little touristy towns in on way to the tip."

"You should go to a state park or two, too. They are beautiful- kinda like you." I whisper that last part but I know she heard what I said because she blushes under the moonlight and looks very shy all of a sudden.

"Maybe." She mumbles.

"You should go camping, too. You can do that at the state parks. I've done that." I roll over onto my side. I want to be closer to her but not too close. Does that make sense?

"I don't do camping." She informs me.

Who doesn't go camping?

"But, it's fun." I whine.

"The two times that I went camping were terrible. The one time it rained all weekend. We were there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. My brother slipped and broke his ankle at breakfast on Sunday morning so we got to leave early. That was the only good thing about it."

"That your brother broke his ankle?" That's not a good thing.

"No! Well- yeah. I got to go home and get out of the rain. So, it was good for me."

"That's terrible, Santana." I groan.

"I know. He was such a shit, though, he deserved it." She shrugs like it doesn't matter.

I roll up on my elbow so that I can see all of her face. "No one deserves a broken ankle." I throw in my two cents. "But, back to camping. You've never been camping with me. I will take you camping and show you how it's really done and that it _is_ fun."

"I don't think so. I don't camp. It's not my thing." Santana insists.

"Oh, come on. I said I would show you fun stuff. And camping is fun. How about this? I know a spot where we can camp that's close to the restaurant you work at. It's close, so if you absolutely hate it, we can go home. It's down by the river and we can camp for just one night. And if you have fun then you can go camping in the northern part of Door County in one of the state parks.

"I don't know." Santana still sounds unsure.

"Please." I beg. "Pretty please. With sugar on top." I scoot closer to her body until there are only a couple of inches that prevent us from touching. I fold my hands as if in prayer. "Pleeeease."

Santana chuckles then rolls her eyes. "Okay. Okay. Fine."

"Yes." I cheer.

We fall into silence. Santana looks up at the stars and I look at her face.

"This is nice." She whispers. "It's so pretty. And tranquil."

"I agree." Never taking my eyes off her. She is so pretty and tranquil. "I don't really like drinking and partying but I went to school with most of those fools. They are my friends. Not great friends but friends non-the-less."

"They sound like they are having fun back at the fire." Santana comments and we both listen to the sounds of voices and laughter.

"I usually come out here, to the trampoline, after a little while and lay by myself and just watch the stars." I tell her my little secret.

Santana's gaze shifts and she looks at me. "Are we friends?" She asks timidly.

I search her face for something. I search my mind for something else. I lick my lips and slowly lower my face closer to hers. The closer I get the bigger her eyes get but she doesn't stop me. I lean in to close the gap.

But I startle. Or- something startles me. I snap back away from her. An ear piercing scream echoes through the woods. I look around but don't see anything or anyone.

I scramble to my hands and knees and crawl off the trampoline. As soon as my feet hit the ground I am running in the direction of the screams.

When I get to the fire, people are running around frantically. "What happened?" I yell, hoping someone will answer me.

"Tommy was drunk, and goofing around, and fell into the fire. They are putting him on the four-wheeler." A girl, who I don't know, points across the fire pit to where three guys are loading another guy, Tommy, onto a four-wheeler.

I run over to them and take a look at the guy for myself. As a firefighter, I need to know that this guy will be alright. I need to know if we should call an ambulance. I need to know the situation.

Tommy doesn't make eye contact as I approach him. He has his head down and is clutching onto his elbow with his good hand. His left hand and forearm are what seem to have the most injury. It looks like a pretty bad burn but I can tell that he will survive. The shirt he was wearing has been burnt away or is melted to his arm. That's really gonna hurt when they clean the burn at the hospital.

"He'll be fine." I say to the guy's that stand around me. "Get him to the hospital ASAP. We don't need to call paramedics. Who hasn't been drinking?" I point out an accusing finger at the guys surrounding me.

One of them timidly raises his hand. I march over to the guy. "What your name?"

"George."

"Okay, George, how much have you had to drink? Honestly?"

He takes a half-step backwards which makes me take a half-step closer to him. "J-just one beer when I got here. Which was like two hours ago."

"Good. You're driving." I point my finger in his face. "Straight to the hospital, got it? No, stopping for anything. Unless he has to puke but other than that- straight to the hospital."

George just nods.

"Now go. I will take care of this." I wave my hand in the air to indicate that I will take care of the rest of the party.

The four-wheeler drives off down the path back to the makeshift parking lot. The crowd disperses quickly after that deciding that the party is over for tonight.

Everyone has gone and it's quiet. I slump down on one of the logs next to the still burning fire. "Fuckin' idiots." I mumble with my face in my hands. I can't believe they could be so stupid. I don't even know who that Tommy guy was. I've never seen him before but that's what you get with a party like this. Word travels quickly in a small town.

I hear a stick break and take my face out of my hands hoping it's squirrel and not something more dangerous in the woods with me.

"Oh." I guess I'm not completely alone.

"That was kinda crazy." Santana says.

I nod. "They're idiots. I huff a frustrated breathe. I've had enough for one night. I stand up and look around for the bucket of water that I made sure was here if there was gonna be a fire in the woods. I don't need any idiots starting a forest fire. I throw the bucket of water on the fire, dosing it. "Let's go. I'll drive you back to your car."

I get an okay from Santana and we walk down the path back to my truck in silence. We also spend the drive back to her car in silence. The more time that passes the more mad I get that my 'friends' let somebody fall into a fire. I'm positively fuming and I need to get to bed so I don't do anything stupid. You don't mess with fire. I'm gonna have to remind them of that.

I pull my truck up right next to Santana's car. Santana opens her door and gets out. "Wait." I stop her before she can shut the truck door. I hit eject. "Don't forget this." I take the cd from the cd player and hold it out for Santana to take. "And I'm sorry the bonfire was a shitfest. Have a good night, Santana."

She nods. "Thanks, you too." She says politely and shuts the door with a slam.

I wait until Santana is safely in her car and she starts it up before I drive away. It's the lest I could do.

* * *

**He song from the middle of the chapter is Meatloaf's All Revved Up**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's a short little chapter but it leads to a bigger, action packed chapter. I will have that up in a couple of days.  
****I would like to thank everyone that is reading and reviewing and for the favorites and follows. It's really what keeps me doing this. Thank you all.  
****Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_Santana's POV_

It's a beautiful Wednesday morning. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, there's a slight breeze in the air. I'm sitting out the back patio enjoying my cup of coffee and watching the activity on the bay.

A couple of jet ski's are zooming around in shallow water a few houses down. There are seagulls sitting on the top of the water doing whatever it is that they do. And a freighter is in the shipping lane going out, away from the port at a snails pace. Some kids are playing down on the beach, putting life and laughter into the air.

But, then I hear a loud truck out around the front of the house. It's probably the UPS man or something. I get up with my cup of coffee and walk around the side of the house to the front yard.

There is a big blue truck with a trailer attached to it backing into my driveway. I watch, confused, as the truck backs up and finally comes to a halt. A man with curling brown hair and a reddish-brown beard gets out of the driver's seat. He walks down the length of the truck and trailer towards where I'm standing. "Hi, we're gonna be doing mulch today." He says.

"Okay." But, I'm thinking who's 'we'. That is until another truck pulls into the other side of my horseshoe shaped driveway.

"Hey." Brittany waves as she gets out of the truck. She jogs over to where I am standing with the man. "Sorry, I'm late." I don't know who she is apologizing to me or the guy that is now opening the trailer doors- chucks of what must be mulch falling out onto the blacktop driveway.

"You wanna start on the edging and I'll start wheeling." He says to Brittany. Well, I hope he is talking to her cuz I have no idea what he means.

"Sure." Brittany nods. "I'll just get my shovel."

She walks back across the front yard to her truck and reaches over the side of the truck bed. When her hand reappears she is brandishing a steel shovel. She goes to the landscaped planting bed that is closest to her and starts working.

My feet lead my over to where she is. I stay far enough back that I don't get in the way of what she is doing- which looks like scraping the mulch back from the edge.

"Your dad called my boss and said that he wanted fresh mulch. He also said you told him about the box elder bugs." She says while she works.

I nod. "I did. He got a trap." I point to the tree that we are standing under where the box shaped trap hangs from a tree branch.

"Good. I'm glad. I can see that it's working already. There aren't hardly any of those little buggers left in this bed." She says around a smile.

"What are you doing?" I ask. I can see what she is doing but I don't know why she is doing it.

"Oh." She stops and looks around. "Eric and I are gonna do mulch. I am prepping the bed for it. I go around and scrap the old mulch away from the edge so the new layer of mulch doesn't overflow the bed. It shouldn't take too long. We should be done in three, four hours tops." She smiles and starts working again.

"Really?" That seems like a short amount of time to do the whole yard. "That fast?"

Brittany looks up and smirks. "Just you wait and see. We are professionals."

I nod. "Okay." I don't know if I can believe that but I guess I should take her at her word. She knows what she is doing, after all. "I have to work at two so-"

"We should be done before then." Brittany smiles and goes to the next planting bed and starts going around the edge of that one too. Meanwhile, Eric is shoveling mulch off the trailer into a wheelbarrow and then wheeling it into the bed and dumping it.

I watch them work in awe. They really do work fast. Brittany does the edge of all the beds in less than twenty minutes and then starts spreading out the piles of mulch that Eric has dumped in the beds. In about an hour they are finishes with the three beds and around the bases of the trees in the front yard.

It's almost something of beauty. They work together effortlessly. Both singularly and together all at once. Singularly on there own tasks respectively but working together to reach the same goal.

I watched a Brittany worked with her shovel. I watched the way she used it as an extension of her arm to scrape all at the mulch with practice ease. Her cutoff t-shirt showing off the way her bicep muscles flexed as she worked. Flexing and unflexing with each movement of the shovel.

It's not just Brittany either. That Eric guy shovels mulch like it's fluffy, weightless, cotton candy. I've never shoveled scoops of mulch but they must weigh a considerable amount, probably not like cotton candy. Every movement that these two make seems natural all while they do something so unnatural to me.

It's hot too. Outside, but also these two are hot working and getting all sweaty. It's obvious that both Eric and Brittany are very strong. It was even more evident when Eric took off his t-shirt, showing off his huge biceps and tight abs. I wonder what Brittany looks like without a shirt on. Maybe she'll take hers off too.

They continue working as if I'm not there. And I might as well not be. I return to the back yard to finish my morning coffee with them working along the north side of the house.

Time passes and I stare out at the bay. The only reason I know this is because Brittany brings it to my attention. "What are you looking at?" She asks breaking my from my thoughts.

"What?" I snap my vision to where she is standing at the edge of the patio with a wheelbarrow in her grasp. Still in her signature jeans, work boots, and cutoff t-shirt. "Nothing."

"The bay is pretty flat today. Not much of a breeze. Just a couple miles per hour." She comments. I don't know if she thinks that's what I was doing- looking at and thinking about the water and how flat it is and if there's a breeze or not.

I wasn't.

"Yeah." I hum.

"Well, I'll let you get back to your daydreaming. I hope it's a good one." She winks and wheels her wheelbarrow away.

I just at her as she walks away with a happy, content smile on her face. She is right though. It was a good day dream. I was thinking about Brittany working in my yard, without a shirt on, with her toned abs flexing as she went. I was thinking about how hot that would be. Heck, it is hot even with her walking around here fully clothed, save for her bare arms.

She's hot in general. I mean come on a strong girl in work boots who drives a truck and uses a shovel to cut through the earth like it's butter. What's not hot about that?

And to that the fact that she is a volunteer firefighter. Which not only makes her hot as hell, but also a total badass.

Brittany in a firefighter's uniform. That's gotta be a sight to see.

Words float through my head like high speed cars. Firefighter, hot, landscaper, truck, badass, muscles, blue, blonde, kiss…

Wait. How could I forget that? She tried to kiss me the last time I saw her. Shit.

I touch my fingertips to my lips. Shit.

I shake the thought from my head. Or I, at least, try. I jump from my seat and run into the house. I decide to take a shower for work even though that still over two hours from now before I have to leave.

* * *

The doorbell rings as I am fixing my hair. I run down the stairs to answer the front door. I feel more put together then I did before my shower. I can only assume that it's Brittany at the door. I take a deep breathe and pull it open.

The big blue truck and trailer that were sitting in my driveway are pulling out.

"We are all done and Eric is leaving." Brittany thumbs over her shoulder to the truck that is slowly disappearing down the road.

"So, that's Eric."

Brittany nods. "Yeah, that's Eric. He's like my annoying older brother but-" She cuts herself off and looks left and then right. I don't know what she is looking for though. "-I don't want to talk about him. I want to talk about you." She gives me a half smirk.

My breath catches in my chest.

"Did you listen to that Meatloaf cd?"

I nod, words escaping me at the moment.

"Good. And what did you think?" She asks and casually leans against the side of the house. I can see the sweat glistening on her skin. I gulp.

"I-it was good. Seems, uh, that I did know one song. I'd Do Anything For Love-" I mumble.

Brittany nods. "Yeah. That's his most popular song. Well, either that or Paradise. It's even in that M&M's commercial with the red M&M."

I don't know what she is taking about. I don't think I've ever seen it. I think I would remember if I heard that song in a commercial. I scrunch up my face and shrug my shoulders. "I don't think I've seen that one."

"Bummer. It's a good one. It was on during the last Superbowl, I think."

"I don't watch football."

"You know enough about it to know that the Superbowl is the championship for football." She says with a raised eyebrow.

I nod. She got me there. "My dad watches football. He's a big Ohio State guy." I point to the Buckeye Mascot statue that sits on our front porch- Brutus Buckeye. "He went to college there."

"I gathered. Anyway, I'm gonna go now but I forgot to get your phone number the other night so we can set up our little camping trip. I was gonna come into the restaurant but I didn't get the time. I thought about asking Jerry to get it from you but then thought that would be weird." She shrugs the shoulder that isn't leaning against the building- cool as a cucumber.

"The guy with the Santa Clause beard?" I ask. She knows so many people I can't keep them all straight.

She smiles at my description. "Yeah. He goes to the restaurant every morning for breakfast."

"Oh, right. I've seen him in there the couple of morning shifts that I've worked. You got your phone?"

Brittany nods and pulls her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans, without moving from the side of the house, and hands it to me. I enter my name and number in her phone and hand it back to her. Her fingers slips across the tops of my fingers in the exchange and I hold my breath. Was that intentionally on her part? I look from my fingers to her face and she is smiling.

"Thanks." She pockets her phone and pushes herself off the house with her shoulder. She lifts her hand up and makes a grab at the brim of an imaginary hat that she isn't wearing. She pretends to tip her hat at me and bows slightly. "Have a good day Miss." She says in a proper English accent.

I feel my cheeks heat up. "Thanks. You too Brittany." I look down at my toes as she spins on her feet and walks away from me.

I look up in time to see her pulling the door of her truck open and hoisting herself into it. Super sexy.

She backs out the driveway and I let out a sigh that I didn't know was inside of me. That girl makes me feel so different. Almost special. No one has ever made me feel special before.

* * *

Work drags on all afternoon but finally I get done with my shift at eight. I grab my phone out of my purse on the way to the car and check for messages.

There are two missed calls and a text message from Brittany. I open up the text.

**To Santana: I was thinking we should start as soon as possible w/this campin thing its nearly mid-June. Times a wastin. How about this weekend?**

I smile down at my phone, at Brittany's goofiness, and hit the call button. It rings four times before I hear a muffled hello.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"_No." _Brittany says but I have a sneaking suspicion that she is lying.

"To answer your question- I have to work this weekend. Two til eight both Friday and Saturday."

I think I hear Brittany yawn. _"Well, you're in luck, Missy. I can work with that."_

"How?" I don't know how we can go camping if I have to work. Not that I am excited about the prospect of camping but I told her I would go. And she said if I wasn't having fun we could go home. So, I can always get out of it if I don't like it.

"_Don't worry your pretty little face. I will set everything up for Saturday night and I will pick you up from work when your shift ends."_ I can imagine she is grinning from ear to ear on the other end of the phone.

"Okay." I say dumbly. "So, what are you doing tonight?" I ask just to make light conversation. Something in me doesn't want to hang up the phone just yet.

"_Oh, I was just spending an evening at home. Relaxing. Watching tv. Ya know."_

"Yeah." I do kinda know. It's nice to have a lazy, relaxing night at home. "Well, have a good rest of your night, Britt."

It quiet for a second and I look at my phone to making sure we didn't get disconnected. _"Th-thanks." _She stutters. _"Goodnight Santana."_

"Goodnight." I hang up the phone and get into my car that I just now realize that I was leaning against the whole time I talked to Brittany.

I start the car with a big smile. The music starts and I turn it cd has been in my car, except for when I took it out and uploaded it onto my laptop, even since Brittany gave it to me. I haven't really listened to anything else.

I smile at the memory of Brittany singing to me that night we went to the bonfire. God, she has the voice of an angel. Soft and sweet. With the huge cheesy smile on my face I put the car in gear and pull out of the parking lot singing along with the song I know pretty well now.

_And we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife  
Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife_  
_C'mon, hold on tight  
C'mon, hold on tight_

_Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night_  
_I can see paradise by the dashboard light_

_Ain't no doubt about it we were doubly blessed_  
_'Cause we were barely seventeen_  
_And we were barely dressed_

_Ain't no doubt about it_  
_Baby got to go out and shout it_  
_Ain't no doubt about it_  
_We were doubly blessed_

_'Cause we were barely seventeen_  
_And we were barely dressed_

* * *

**Song: Meatloaf's Paradise By The Dashboard Light**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is a monster of a chapter. Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 6**

_Brittany's POV_

Camping, that's today's focus. I need to show Santana that camping can be fun. The plan is to take her camping on my boss, Mary's land, along the river. There's a fire pit and a large area for a tent. There's even a picnic table.

It will be a hot day though. Highs in the mid-eighties by day and lows in the low-seventies at night. We won't be cold that's for sure. And it won't be raining. So, that's good.

My goal right now is setting up the tent and getting everything ready for tonight. The tent is a little, two person tent, so Santana and I will be nice and cozy tonight- up close and personal. I need to put the air mattress in the tent and then blow it up. I have a battery operated pump to blow it up with. It will go much quicker than if I were to blow it up myself. After I have that done I need to roll out the sleeping bags on top of the air mattress. That's it as far as the tent goes.

After I have the tent all set up I need to get firewood for the campfire and find the cooking utensils. I think they are up in the building on the top of the hill.

Mary's property is unique. You drive in from the road down a long gravel driveway that cuts through the woods. You come down a hill and then there is a field that's about an acre in size. Mary had a building built there on the corner of the open field. It's like a mini-house and even has two levels. The bottom floor is like a garage and is mostly for storage and is divided into two rooms. There is a four-wheeler and a brush cutter in front room, as well as a pile of lumber, when you first walk in. Then there's a wall and behind the wall is a sitting area with a wood stove for when it's cold.

The upstairs is a living quarters with a bed and a balcony. But, I won't tell Santana about that. If she knows that there is a real life bed on the property she won't want to sleep in the tent.

The gravel driveway continues off of the field down another hill back into the woods. You go down the hill and at the bottom is a large clearing. That's where we plant trees, and shrubs, and vegetables, and whatever else.

At the south end of the clearing is a little more woods and then the river. It's a neat setup.

* * *

I have the snacks in my truck. I don't want to leave those outside while I go pick up Santana. Some critters would probably come by and snatch them. Snacks are important on a camping trip, I don't want them to go missing and us to have no snacks.

Once I have everything all set I look at the time on my phone. 7:33. Sufficient enough. I walk back to the truck and start it up for my trip to the restaurant to pick up Santana.

I walk in the door and Janet waves at me from the other side of the room.

I catch Santana as she is wiping down a booth for the next day. "Brittany, you can't wear that." Her eyes are as big as saucers.

I look down at my outfit. My bikini top and shorts and tennis shoes. "Well, I am." I smirk.

"Have you ever heard of no shirt, no shoes, no service?" She squawks. It's funny. She's funny.

"Yes. But, look around there's nobody here." I watch as she actually looks around the restaurant. "And I don't see Janet putting up a fuss." I point over to the woman sweeping in the corner. "I'll just sit down right here-" I point to the stool at the end of the counter. "-and if it makes you happy I won't even touch anything." I smirk at her.

She breaks her wide-eyes stare and frowns. "I didn't mean-"

I silence her. "Shh." I bring my finger to my lips. "Just work. You have a camping date to get to." She visibly flinches but gets back to work.

I listen to the catchy eighties tunes the radio is playing quietly in the background while I watch Santana and Janet cleanup and close the restaurant for the night.

"Ready?" I ask as Santana reappears from the kitchen with her bag. It's not quite dark yet and I'm hoping to get back to Mary's land before it gets totally dark. I want Santana to have any idea of where we are going and that's hard to do if it's dark outside.

"Yep. Just let me check to see if my car is locked and that I have everything." I nod and she scurries over to her car. I get in my truck and wait.

* * *

We drive down the long gravel driveway that leads down to the river. "This is kinda spooky." Santana comments.

"I think it's cool."

"Well, let's agree to disagree." She says to the passenger's side window as she looks out at the scenery. Trees, trees, and more trees.

I park the truck at the bottom of the hill near the path to the river.

"Wow. No wonder you didn't want me to drive my car down here with that big ass hill. That takes over the river and through the woods to a whole new level." She comments.

"But, we didn't go over the river." I scrunch up my face. "We're just camping next to it."

Santana chuckles.

"What?" I wonder what's so funny.

"Nothing." She catches her breath. I just watch her in all her beauty as she controls her chuckles. It makes me smile to know that I can make her smile and laugh. "So, where are we camping. I don't see any river." She looks around us.

"You'll see." I point out the front window. "You see that trail right there." I lean a little closer to her so she can look down the length of my arm to where I am pointing. "We go down there a little ways and- BAM, river."

She lifts an eyebrow. "Bam, river?" Santana questions.

"Yep." I nod once. I'm so close to her that I could lean over one more inch and press my lips to her cheek. And I so want to do just that but I also don't want anything to ruin our little camping trip. "Now grab your bag and follow me." I grab the marshmallows off the center seat and get out of the truck cab.

"Did you bring your swimsuit?" I ask as we walk side by side down the path.

"Yeah." She says cautiously. I bet she looks smoking in a swimsuit.

The path weaves through the words and then opens up to a grassy area with the river to the east. The tent is set up and the wood is in the fire pit all ready to be lit.

"Wow, Brittany. This is kinda cool. You were right."

"Told ya so." I brag. I can't help it.

"We are really secluded, aren't we?" She asks. And I can almost hear the thoughts going through her head. There's no one within a mile of here. Where am I suppose to change my clothes? There's no running water. Where am I suppose to wash my face and hands? And perhaps, mostly importantly, where am I suppose to go to the bathroom?

Some of those thoughts are correct but others are false. There is running water. I would just have to turn the generator on. There is no flushable toilet though.

"Yes and no. Ya know when we drove in, did you see lights to the north?"

"Which way is north?" She asks and I have to prevent myself from rolling my eyes. It's really hard not to do. That's such a 'city' thing to say.

"When we came down the hill north was to our left." I explain to her lightly.

"Okay. Yeah, no. I didn't see any lights."

Really? I take a deep breath. "There is a camp ground just north of here."

"Oh." She mumbles and looks like she is thinking it over. "Okay."

"So, we are not as secluded as you might think. But that camp ground wasn't always there. And I think that's why Mary bought the property."

"Wait, this isn't your property?" She sounds astonished that I don't own this piece of land.

"Don't worry. We have permission to be here. My boss doesn't mind. She uses the land mostly for plantings for work and for personal use. Did you see the vegetable garden on the way in?"

"That's what that was?" She asks.

"Yep. That big fenced in area is the vegetable garden. We grow just about every vegetable that there is." I sit down on the top of the picnic table.

"Why's it fenced in?" She asks and sits down next to me.

"So, the deer don't eat all the vegetables." I chuckle.

"Deer. There are deer out here." She asks with a little squeak in her voice.

"It's mostly woods around here. The other side of the river is all woods. Jerry and his sons use this land for hunting. Deer, turkeys, that sort of thing." I inform her and watch as she reacts.

"Oh." Santana whispers and looks around.

"I doubt you'll see any. Although, Randy ran into a big buck face to face a couple days ago."

Her eyebrow furrow. "Who's Randy?"

"One of Jerry's buddies. He gets wood out of these woods and makes tables and all sorts of things out of it. He's big into woodworking. That's how he ran into the deer. He was looking for the perfect specimen for his next woodworking project."

"Wow."

"But-" I pause and lick my suddenly dry lips. "-don't worry if any deers come by, I will protect you." I flex my biceps for her in the body builder pose.

"Okay." She bites down on her bottom lip. It looks like she wants to say more but doesn't.

"I'm gonna start the fire now." I wiggle the bag of marshmallows in front of her face. "You had supper right?" I want to make sure. I don't want to stuff Santana full of marshmallows if she didn't have a proper supper first.

She nods. "Yeah, at work."

"Good cuz I didn't bring any supper food. I brought breakfast food but not supper food." I go over to the fire pit with my box of matches.

"You're like a regular boy scout. Camping and fires and hunting." Santana comments.

I look back over my shoulder towards her. "I don't hunt. And you have to know how to start a fire if you are gonna work with Jerry." She nods and I go back to starting the fire. "It's so hot out here that we don't need a fire." I wipe the back of my hand across my forehead for dramatic effect. "But, we must have marshmallows and smores. It's like a rule of camping. So, we must have a fire."

"I won't argue with that."

I look back at her with a smile. "We could always eat them without roasting them."

She scrunches up her face. "What fun would that be?"

My smile grows. I can't pass up the opportunity to tease her. "So, are you having fun already?" I turn back to tending the fire, which is going pretty good now.

"I didn't say that."

"Fine." I glance back at her again and wait for her to catch my eyes. When she does she averts her eyes and shys away. So cute. If it weren't getting dark I bet I could see the hints of a blush on her cheeks.

* * *

We roast marshmallows and make smores as the sun sets. It's dark and the woods that stand to our west are whisper quite. The animals that live there either taking shelter for the night or hunting and scavenging in relative silence.

I feel a tapping on my knee and look down to it, my thoughts of the forest creatures forgotten for now. Santana's pointer finger taps gently at my knee. I smile and lift my gaze to see her face. "Yes?" I question and she stops tapping at my leg.

"You were off in la-la land. I asked what we do now that it's dark out."

I shrug. "Campfire stories and then bed." What I usually do when I'm camping.

"What about swimming?" Santana asks in a small little voice, like she doesn't want to say the wrong thing.

"Well-" It's really dark out. I think it would be dangerous to go swimming now. "-we can go swimming now but I don't think that's wise. I don't want you to get hurt or anything. That wouldn't be a fun camping trip."

Her face shifts. "Oh." Santana whispers.

"I suggest we swim in the morning when it's light out. I can wake you up at dawn." I tell her with a little teasing smile.

"Dawn? Isn't that like-"

I can see Santana searching her brain for the appropriate time. Thinking when it is that the sun rises. "Five am." I finish for her. "Yeah."

"That's really early." Santana sounds almost shocked.

"What time is your earliest shift at the restaurant?" I ask knowing the answer already.

"Five am."

"See. You get up for that. What's preventing you from getting up with the sun?" I point out for her.

"That's really early." Santana repeats. "I don't want to have to get up early on my day off."

I just laugh. "How 'bout we hit the hay then?" Santana gives me that scrunchy face, confused look of hers. "Go to bed." I clarify.

"I knew what you meant. I've just never heard anyone use that phrase in real life before." She stands up from her seat and starts for the tent.

I put out the fire and follow her.

It's hot and stuffy in the tent. I take off my shorts revealing my bikini bottoms. I don't hear Santana next to me making any noise or a move to change into sleepwear. I adjust my swimsuit bottoms and look up to see her staring at me. Her eyes don't move. They are fixed on one spot. It's almost as if she is looking straight through me. I look down at my body and then back to her unmoving face.

"Are you gonna change?" I ask and she flinches. Santana nods but doesn't move. I leave her be and sit down on my sleeping bag, which rests on the large air mattress. I like camping but I don't like sleeping on the ground and that's where the air mattress comes in handy. It's a small tent. A two person. There's not much room left after the air mattress is in place. A few feet of free space at the door to the tent and about a foot on either side of the air mattress before the side walls of the tent.

Seconds pass after I sit down before Santana moves. It's like her body is working in slow motion. I have a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with my attire, or lack there of. She slowly goes over to her bag in the corner, stooping under the short height of the tent. I watch her dig through the bag and pull out a pair of cotton shorts- that look suspiciously like boxer shorts- and tank top to sleep in. She looks around the tent before her eyes finally stop on mine. I smile my warmest, gentlest smile.

"Where am I suppose to change?" She asks. Her voice a little hoarse.

I shrug. "I would suggest in here. But, you can change outside if you want. There's no one in the immediate vicinity. Plus, it's dark if there were they wouldn't be able to see you." Santana just stares at me. Guess she isn't to keen on changes outside. "I promise I won't look." I tell her. I would very much like to look but I don't think she can handle that right now.

"O-okay." She stammers.

I roll over on my sleeping bag so that I am lying flat on my stomach and stuff my face in my pillow, even though it's hot as hell. All I can see is black behind my eyelids. I hear the ruffling of clothes being taken off and replaced.

"All done." She says after about a minute.

I flip back over and tuck my hands up, folded, behind my head and look up at Santana who is still standing at the door to the tent. I nod to my left of me where her sleeping bag is rolled out. She takes the hint and lays down on top of it.

"It's so stuffy in here." She comments.

The door flap is open and the opposite window but the two side windows are closed. "I could unzip the other windows, if you want." Santana nods and I shuffle around inside the little tent until all three windows and the door screen are open.

"There." I say as I lay down again. I slip my legs into my sleeping bag, I pull the flap back so that the sleeping bag is just covering the bottoms of my legs and isn't so hot. Santana copy my lead and does something similar with her sleeping bag. "So, tell me about your friends?" I ask, hoping to learn as much as I can about her tonight.

"My best friend is Quinn." Santana says softly. "We were in competition for everything when we were in high school but at some point during our senior year realized that none of that would matter in the real world and became friends." Her voice is soft and angelic and if she talks along enough I think I could fall asleep. "She goes to college at Ohio State. She is a really great and supportive friend."

"What does she look like?" I ask.

Santana smiles and side-glances over at me. At some point during her telling me about Quinn I must have switched from laying on my back to laying on my left side, facing her. Santana still lays on her back but looks over at me with a smile.

"She has blonde hair but not like yours. It's short. Shoulder length and not as bright. She has hazel eyes and a pretty face."

"Do you have a picture?" I ask. If she is best friends with Quinn, like Santana says she is, then she probably has a picture of the two of them on her phone.

"Yeah." She sits up and reaching for her bag. Santana pulls out her phone and flicks through it. She lays down again but this time on her side facing me, only a couple of inches separating us. She flips the phone away from her and shows me the picture. Santana was right Quinn is a very pretty girl indeed. "She's coming to visit in July. You should meet her." I wrinkle my forehead thinking ahead to the future and if I have anything planned in the month of July even though I don't know when this Quinn is coming. Santana must see it though and back tracks. "That is if you want to. You totally don't have to meet her. She's just a friend of mine. It's not important. Forget I mentioned it." She takes the phone back and stares at the screen as she rambles.

"Hey." I try to get her attention but it doesn't work. I reach out with my right hand and wrap it around her wrist. She snaps her eyes back to me. "I'll meet her. If it's important to you. I'll meet her." Santana nods. "When is she coming?"

"The week around July fourth." She whispers.

"Okay. I'll be there." I promise.

Santana ducks her chin to her chest. "Okay." She says seriously. "Thank you."

"For what?" I ask.

"Are we friends?" Santana changes the subject. I can hear that scared, timidness in her voice again, like she doesn't want to be embarrassed or say anything stupid. Although, I guess it's not too far from what we were just talking about. Her and her best friend. And now she wants to know if we are friends.

Everything stops and I think back to when I heard those words last. The bonfire. The trampoline. The star gazing. The almost kiss. I want to be her friend. And I think that we are friends but a part of me wants to be more than that. I have feelings for her that are more than friendly.

I nod. Words escaping me at the moment.

"Good. I really like you Brittany and I really enjoy spending time with you even if it's doing something I hate- like camping."

Silence falls around us. She stares into my eyes and I can't do anything but stare back. It's dark in the tent but I can still see everything about her face. The way the corners of her lips twitch upwards. The way her eyes pierce through the darkness and fix on mine. The steadiness in them even though the rest of her seem unsteady.

A tiny part of me registers what's happening but mostly I just run on impulse. I tug on her wrist, that I am still holding onto, pulling her closer to me as I move closer to her. Our eyes never break contact as I close the final inch of the gap between our faces.

I press my lips to hers with a softness and gentleness that I didn't know I possessed. I close my eyes and savor the feeling. I am surprised when I feel Santana kiss me back. Just a quick press of her lips into mine.

I break away from the short kiss and blink my eyes open slowly. Santana is across from me with a coy smile on her face. Her eyes search my face, her lips parted slightly. "What?" I ask nervously. Did she not like that? Why is she looking at me like she wants to say something?

Her smile only grows around her words. "My boyfriend isn't gonna like that?"

"What?" I snap back from her and nearly jump out of my sleeping bag, putting as much space between us as possible without falling off the air mattress onto the hard ground. "Boyfriend. You never mentioned you had a boyfriend. I thought- why didn't you tell me- I never would have. I'm so sorry." I hide my face in my hands in embarrassment. How did I not know? How could I be so stupid? "Oh God."

I flinch when I feel Santana's hand as she grabs onto my arm. "Calm down."

I remove my hands from my face. "How can you tell me to be calm when you have a boyfriend- and I just kissed you- and you have a boyfriend. I can't be calm right now. It's not possible. I don't cheat. And I don't want to be the cause of someone else cheating." I'm frantic. Gasping for air. If I wasn't positively overheated before, I sure am now. When did it get so hot in here?

"Shh." Santana whispers. "I have a boyfriend but I didn't want to tell you because I don't know where I stand with him anymore. You didn't do anything wrong. I kissed you back, remember?"

She did. I nod dumbly.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She asks and I nod again. "I wanted you to kiss me ever since that night on the trampoline. I wanted you to kiss me."

"But- what about- your boyfriend?" I ask. This is a problem.

"What about him?" She shrugs. I don't understand how she can be so casual about this. So calm.

"Won't he be mad- mad that- you kissed someone else?" I just stare at Santana searching for the answers. I'm desperately hoping that she holds the answers to all of my questions.

"He doesn't have to know." Santana says quietly.

"What if he finds out? Will he be mad then? Is he gonna come find me and beat me up?" I can't think of this situation ending in a good way. Either, I don't get to see Santana anymore or don't get to kiss her or she goes back to her boyfriend. Or he comes to town looking for me and tells me to stay away from her or worse wants to fight me. Or all of the above. There's no good outcome here.

"First, how would he find out? Only you and I know. So that's impossible." I want to tell her that nothing is impossible, but I keep my mouth shut. "He would be mad if he found out, but he won't hit a woman. Just guys."

Gee, sounds like such a stand up guy. I am picturing a big guy. Six-three, six-four with big muscles and a mean glare as her beats up any guy that looks at his girlfriend the wrong way.

"I don't understand." I mumble and slump back into my sleeping bag again. What does all of this mean? Sometimes I get confused easy but this doesn't seem easy in any way. This seems complicated and I'm confused.

"I don't either. But, I do know that I really like you, Brittany. I haven't even talked to Puck since I've been in Wisconsin. I-"

"Puck? What kind of name is that?" I blurt.

Santana completely ignores my questions and keeps talking. "-don't know what's gonna happen with me and him and part of me doesn't care anymore. I know- I know that I haven't ever felt the way I feel now. You make me feel different. You make me laugh and smile. You care about me and what happens to me. You want to show me places that are special to you and that you love. You make me feel sp-special." Santana takes a big shaky breath. It's dark and I'm not one-hundred percent positive but it sounds like she is about to cry.

"Puck doesn't do any of that for me anymore. He used to when we were first together. Now it's just- just-" She's crying now. I scoot closer to her again and rub my hand up and down her arm hoping to soothe her. "I- I-" She sobs.

It breaks my heart to see her like this. Even with my own confused thoughts and feelings I can't let her just be. I move so that I can wrap my arm around her body and pull her to my chest, her head tucked in under my chin. "Shh. It's okay." I don't know that it really is okay, but I don't have anything else to offer her right now. "It's okay." I hold her tight and rock gently back and forth trying to keep from crying myself.

Several minutes pass of Santana crying and me holding her while she cries. Eventually, her sobs turn into little whimpers and then hiccups. I give her a kiss on the top of the head when I feel the first hiccup vibrate through my chest where it presses to hers. If she weren't so sad right now I would tell her that her little hiccups are cute.

I hold her in my arms for a long, long time. Neither of us say anything. Her hiccups stops at some point and her breathing evens out. She's asleep.

I loosen my hold of her so in can lean back and get some sleep of my own but Santana whimpers in her sleep so I hold her tight again. It's absolutely too hot and humid to be pressed up this close to another human being but I'm willing to stay like this all night if I have to. I kiss her on the top of the head again and shut my eyes hoping to fall to sleep sometime soon.

* * *

I wake up the next morning after a fitful night of sleep. I don't know how much sleep I actually got, but I know it wasn't a lot. I laid awake for at least an hour after Santana fell asleep and held her the whole time.

When I finally did fall asleep it wasn't for long. I kept walking up during the night. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Santana has a boyfriend. I finally kissed her but now I can't anymore because of that fact. That's a deal breaker for me. I won't mess around with somebody who is in a committed relationship. I won't be the mistress. I won't be the affair. I won't do that to her - _or_ _him_.

I still don't know how I feel about it. I know I have this huge crush on Santana and everything in me wants to spend time with her and be around her whenever I can. But, she has a boyfriend and I can't mess with that. Even if she said she doesn't know where her and her boyfriend stand, he is still her boyfriend.

As silently as I can, I slip out of the tent. Santana is still slumbering and I want to let her sleep as long as possible. She needs it after last night. I didn't expect the nights events to take such a dramatic turn, but they did and here I stand. A new day with a new realization.

I start on breakfast after I get the fire going. Bacon and eggs.

While the fire gets going I get out the bacon and eggs from the cooler. It's actually an easy breakfast to make on a campfire. I fry the bacon first and then work on the eggs.

A touch on my waist startles me but I quickly realize that it's Santana's touch. She slips her arms around my waist and fastens her hands together on my stomach, hugging me from behind. I sink into her hold. Santana nuzzles the side of her face against my back, between my shoulder blades, and I sigh at the feeling. This feels amazing. She feels amazing against me.

"Mornin'. How'd ya sleep?" I ask. I hope she slept good because I certainly didn't.

She hums. "Mmm. Good." She detaches herself from my back and stands beside me, in front of the fire.

"Good, I'm glad." I fiddle with the frying pan over the fire. "Breakfast is almost ready." I lift the pan from the fire when it's ready and slide the eggs onto two paper plates and hand one to Santana. "There's bacon under that plate." I made a plate of bacon earlier and covered it with another paper plate for safe keeping from flies.

"Thank you. This looks amazing. It's smells so good but is there anything to drink?" Santana asks and peers up at me through her eyelashes.

I smile cuz she's can be so damn cute sometimes. "Yeah. Over in the cooler. There are two bottles of orange juice that I got at the gas station. I hope that's okay?"

"It's great. I don't have orange juice often but I do like it." She tells me and then goes over to cooler. I sit down with my plate of eggs and bacon at the picnic table. A few seconds later Santana comes back. "I brought yours too." She sets the two bottles of orange juice on the picnic table and sits down.

"Thanks." I smile.

"You're very welcome." She smiles back. I start on my first few bites of food and nearly fall off the picnic table when Santana smacks me on the arm. I wasn't paying any attention to her, too busy watching my food as I ate it. "This is delicious, Brittany. Oh my god." She mumbles through a mouthful of eggs.

I shrug. "I used to work in the kitchen of a bar when I was a teenager. I know a few tricks when it comes to cooking." It's no big deal. It's just something that I learned. I know my way around a grill, so what?

* * *

After breakfast is finished and all the utensils and cooking instruments are cleaned up, I suggest swimming.

"You wanna take a dip in the river now." I give Santana a big, happy smile. I'm trying my hardest not to think about Santana's boyfriend but it plagues my mind. I just want to have a good morning and a good camping trip. That's the whole point, to show Santana that camping is fun. I try to focus on that and just have a good time.

"Yeah. I'll just go change." Santana looks over her shoulder at the tent and then looks back to me.

"Go ahead." I still have my swimsuit on from yesterday. I just covered it with clothes this morning. All I have to do is take my layer of clothes off and I'm ready to go. Santana is still wearing her sleep tank top and boxer shorts and needs to actually change out of them. "I'll wait right here." I point to the spot next to the picnic table.

She ducks inside the tent. I turn my back to the tent and take my shirt and shorts off and put them on top of the picnic table. Santana reemerges a few minutes later and when I see her I feel like my heart is in my throat and I can't swallow.

She's even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Her tan skin glistening in the hot morning sun. Her dark, nearly black, hair flowing down her back. Her legs seem longer than possible with just her swimsuit bottoms on. She's gorgeous from head to toe. Like a goddess.

"Wow." I mumble and luckily she doesn't hear me or if she doesn't she doesn't say anything about it.

Instead she grabs my hand. "Let's go." She whispers and leads a stunned me to the edge of the river. I follow behind her and I can't keep from appreciating her wonderful body from behind. But, there's something in the back of my head.

_You can look but you can't touch._ It taunts and teases. Life really isn't fair sometimes.

We get in the water up to our waists. It's cold. I shiver runs through me and all I can think is it's cold. I turn to see what Santana is doing. She is bent at the waist, her hands in the water, a devilish grin on her face. "Don't you dare." I warn her.

"Dare what?" She tries to say in an innocent voice, but I can hear the menace behind it.

"Spl-" I don't even finish my word before I am hit with a cold blast of water to the face. I wipe a hand over my face trying to wipe the water away. "Santana." I yell and take a step towards her.

She laughs and runs away from me.

I splash her and she splashes me. We run around chasing each other in the waist deep water. At the deepest part of the river it only comes up to my chest so we don't have any problems running around. Our feet push off the sandy bottom and propel us through the water.

The further into the summer the lower the water level gets. But, in the spring, the water comes up over the banks and floods the fire pit and the whole area where the tent is set up. My boss has to make sure that everything is picked up before the spring flood or the water washes it away. Even the picnic table gets lifted up and moved.

I turn my back to Santana and sink my left hand under the water preparing a wave to splash at her - surprise attack. I turn and sweep my arm through the water creating a wall of water to send in Santana's direction. But-

She isn't standing where she was a second ago. My wall of water splashes as it hits no one and nothing in particular, except for more water. Santana laughs off to my right side and I frown.

"You're sneaky." I mumble and duck my head, looking down at the water.

"Is that so?" She asks and her voice seems closer than I know she was standing a moment ago. I look up and she is right there. Next to me. I nod. She is very sneaky. Santana takes a step closer until she is directly in front of me. I scrunch my face up. What is she doing? She raises her right hand out of the water and points behind me. "What's that over there?"

I twist my body and look over my shoulder. I don't see anything. "Where?" I ask, still searching for whatever it is that she is trying to call my attention to.

"Over there. Between those trees." She whispers. It's a vague description and I squint to try and see what she is talking about.

The next thing I know, I have to take a step backwards to balance myself, otherwise, I'll fall over backwards in the water. Santana is suddenly so very close, like, her legs wrapped around my waist under the water, close. Holy crap.

I snap my head back to figure out what she is doing.

She kisses me as soon as I am facing her again.

It's a surprise, to say the least. Her lips caress my bottom one. Her hands wrap around my shoulders and hold tight to the back of my neck. On instinct and from fear of her falling I put my hands on her lower back and hold her to my body.

Santana switches the kiss. I kiss her back with as much gusto as a closed mouth kiss will allow. That nagging thought returns, though.

_You can look but you can't touch._

And as great as this little kiss is, I have to pull back away from her lips. I lick my lips and search Santana's face. She looks at ease. A teeny-tiny smile tugs at the corners of her lips. Her eyes sparkle with something, but I'm not sure what that something is.

"What about your boyfriend?" I can't help but ask.

She shakes her head. "Forget about him."

Her fingers tickle at my hairline, and it's hella distracting, but I have to say what I'm thinking. "I can't." I duck my head in embarrassment. I don't want her to know this but she has to know. "I was up half the night thinking about him."

"Oh, Britt." Santana says and her hands slide from the back of my neck to each of my cheeks. She lifts my head until I am looking at her again. Her eyes say just how sorry she is. "I'm sorry." She voices and then pecks me on the lips. Then again and again and again. Until she kisses me more times than I can count. Gentle, little pecks that are meant to soothe me but in truth don't quite do the job. "We'll have to figure something out." She tells me after the last kiss and I nod dumbly.

I search her eyes and she does the same to mine. She nods and I nod. She unwraps her legs from around my waist and I drop my hands from her back. She starts for the banks of the river and I follow. We get out of the water and towel off. I put clothes on over my swimsuit and Santana returns to the tent. I assume she's taking off her suit and putting on clothes. I can't be sure though.

I start packing up all of our camping equipment while she is in the tent. After she comes out I go in and roll up the sleeping bags and deflate the air mattress. Santana helps me take down the tent.

We pack everything up and throw it in the bed on my truck. I open Santana's door for her and help her get in. She smiles in thanks. I nod and shut the door behind her and go to get in on my side. I start the truck up and drive back up the hill.

We get to the top and Santana breaks the weird silence we have been under. "What's that building there?" She asks in a light, cheery voice - part of me thinks it's fake.

"That's Mary's shed. It's not really a shed." I shrug. I don't know really how to describe it any better than a shed, though. "I'll show you it one day." I have my doubts about that happening, though. After today, I don't know if Santana will ever be back here again.

"Okay." I can see her nod out of the corner of my eye.

I just keep driving. I just want to get home. Everything was going so well last night, then Santana mentioned the fact that she had a boyfriend and everything changed. I felt weird about everything after that. I didn't know what to do or say. This morning things were going well. We were having fun. Breakfast was good and splashing around in the river was great fun but then she kissed me. That was great too. Better than great but there's this thing I can't get passed.

_You can look but you can't touch. She's not yours._

"You know where I live, when am I gonna find out where you live?" Santana asks breaking me from my thoughts. She uses that light, happy, fake voice again. I hate it because I know it's not real. I hate it because I know she is trying to make me feel better.

Without any excitement or energy in my voice I tell her. "I live about twenty minutes from where you live. I live in a little apartment not too far from the nursery where I work. In Luxemburg. It's not much and I live by myself. I'm hardly ever there, actually. I just sleep there mostly." I tell her. I can hear the dullness in my own voice and I'm sure Santana can too.

"Oh, good to know." This time her voice is low, and quite. She's dropped the fake, light, happiness. It both makes me happy and sad. Happy that she stopped using it because it was fake, but sad because she's given up on trying to make me feel better already. She probably doesn't want to be around a sad sack like me any longer than she has to.

The rest of the ride to Santana's car is in silence. I drop her off at her car in the parking lot at the restaurant. I turn to her as she is getting out of the passengers side. "I hope you had a good time camping. I hope you had fun." I do mean it. I hope this whole weekend wasn't a total bust. I hope she had fun and will go camping again this summer.

Santana smiles big. "I did. Thank you for taking me. I really had fun." She sounds sincere.

"Your welcome. Now you know what to do when you go camping in the state park." I shift my eyes away from hers. I can't look at her anymore, it's too much. "I have to get home and unload all this stuff." I thumb behind me to the camping equipment in the bed of my truck. "Have a good afternoon and evening, Santana. Bye."

It seems so much like something else. Not just a simple goodbye, or see ya later. Like something more final. Something more difficult.

"Goodbye, Britt." Santana says quietly and shuts her door. I don't even look in her direction. I can't.

Unlike the last time I dropped her off, I don't wait for her to unlock her car, to get in, to start it up. I put the truck in drive and leave the empty parking lot immediately.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Santana's POV_

I can't figure out what the hell went wrong. I mean, I know, but that shouldn't be a reason.

Right now, I hate myself for ever mentioning Puck or that I had boyfriend. Shit, and then I cried all about- well, I don't know what about exactly. I think it was all of it. Puck and Brittany and everything. My increasing feelings for the blonde girl and my decreasing feelings for my boyfriend. I was just so overwhelmed.

And Brittany was so great too. She could have just let me to myself and cry but she didn't. She wrapped me up in her arms and made me feel safe. She made me feel like everything would be alright.

But, right now, everything doesn't seem alright.

I get in my car and turn it on and Brittany's Meatloaf cd starts playing. "Fuck." I harshly hit the stereo knob with my knuckles, turning the music off.

I slump down in my seat and rub my face with my hands. I probably screwed things up with Brittany before they even started.

I'll admit that I don't know what I want with Brittany. But, I do know that I want to find out. I want to find out if there is something there. I have never been with a girl in any way, shape, or form. Unless you count kissing girls at high school parties for the attention or for your boyfriend's pleasure. But, I'm not opposed to being with a girl.

I have always thought that girls were very attractive but never thought that I would/could get into a relationship with one. Right now those very thoughts are running through my head.

I want to see what can become of me and Brittany. I want to see if we could become more than friends. I want to explore every possibility. I never saw myself with a woman. I always thought I would be married to a guy by thirty and have our two point five kids by the time I was thirty-five. But, right now I don't see any of that. I don't know what my future holds and I find myself thinking differently about it for the first time.

However, I don't know where I stand with Brittany right now. After last night's kiss and then subsequent cry fest I don't know what gonna happen now. This morning I woke up happy and excited. I greeted Brittany with a hug at the fire and everything seemed fine between us. We had a blast playing in the river and then I worked up the courage to kiss her. For a second, everything seemed perfect. But, then Brittany brought up Puck and- it wasn't.

I can hear my phone vibrating in my purse but don't feel like talking to anyone at the moment. I just feel frustrated with myself. I ignore whoever is calling and start my drive home.

It takes fifteen minutes to get home from the diner parking lot. When I get there, I bring my stuff from camping up to my room and start unpacking. I went to get my swimsuit and all of my clothes in the washing machine as soon as possible.

I take my phone out of my purse and put it on my nightstand not bothering to look at the screen to see who called me before. If it was important they will call back.

I work on pulling out all of my clothes. The clothes I wore to work yesterday. And then the tank top and boxer shorts that I wore to sleep in last night. After that, my swimsuit, that is wrapped up in a towel. They all smell like wet, musky river water and campfire smoke from being stuffed in the bag together.

I hear my phone vibrate against the hard wood of my nightstand while I work on unpacking but ignore it. It buzzes again immediately after the first call. I don't want to answer it but what if it's an emergency? What if it's my parents and they are trying to get a hold of me. Whoever it is called twice in a row so it must be important, right.

I walk across the room to my nightstand and pick up the phone. I look at the screen to see who it is that is calling.

Puck.

He's the last person I want to talk to right now. I am frustrated and he probably won't stop calling so I answer it just to make him stop.

"What?" A growl into the phone.

"_Hey, baby, I've been trying to get a hold of you." _He says in a too sweet voice. _"What's up? You must be very busy working if you can't even pick up the phone. Who do you work for? I'll call them up and tell them to give you some time off so you can talk to the Puckster."_

"How do you know I have a job?" I return with. I don't have time to put up with his crap.

"_Oh, Quinn told me."_He says easily into the phone.

Oh, crap. Fucking Quinn. I told her all about my job when I talked to her last week. She doesn't know that I'm not talking to Puck. Though, she probably knows now. Him asking her questions that he should know the answers to probably tipped her off to something. I'll have to call her up and talk to her.

"Oh, yeah, well, I've been busy." It's the partial truth. I don't feel bad not telling him the whole truth though.

"_Too busy for little ole me?"_ Puck asks into the phone.

Yes. Too busy and I don't want to talk to you.

"Kinda." I tell him.

"_Well, you are gonna have to do something to change that. It's not easy being in a long distance relationship. You are gonna have to start finding time to talk to me."_

I roll my eyes. "Fine. I'll try to call you and answer the phone if you call me. But, I can't make any promises. I work a lot and I really am busy." I tell him hoping that he will get the hint.

He doesn't. _"Good. You can't be that busy. You're just a waitress right?"_

First off, that's insulting. And second, I do have things that I do that don't involve work. "I am busy besides work. I do other things than just work. Like, last night, I went camping." I inform him. I want to rub in the fact that I can get along fine without him around or without talking to him all the time.

Puck balks. _"What? You hate camping."_ He says, like, he can't believe those words came out of my mouth.

"Yeah, I absolutely hate it." I say sarcastically. "But, hey, it was great to hear your voice and get to talk to you a little but I gotta go finish unpacking and wash my clothes. Stinky."

"_San, wait. I-" _

But, I don't hear what he say because I hang up the phone on him. Feeling slightly satisfied and a little better I throw the phone down on the bed and then throw myself down after it.

I make a mental note to tell Quinn what's going on with me and Puck and also with me and Brittany before I shut my eyes for a little nap.

(Santana falls asleep thinking about Brittany.)

* * *

A few days pass and I work my shifts at the diner without any sight of Brittany. I haven't heard from her either by call or text. I'm starting to get concerned and starting to think that she is avoiding me intentionally.

I even ask Janet if she's seen Brittany but she told me that she hasn't. I'm honestly worried.

It's Saturday at lunch time when Brittany finally shows up during one of my shifts. She comes in and politely talks with a older couple in one of the booths near the door. After her conversation she comes up to the counter and takes a seat at the usual spot.

I walk up to her more nervous than I've ever been around her. "Hi." I say quietly.

"Hi, Santana. How are you? How is you shift going?" She asks politely, something unfamiliar in her voice.

"Good." I reply.

"Good." She says with nod.

"Can I get you something to eat?" I ask and pull out my notepad and pen.

She nods. "Cheeseburger and a side salad. And a water. Please and thank you." She says quickly and gives me a polite smile.

I write it down and tell her it will be out as soon as it's done. I walk the order into the kitchen, letting out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. Something's off with Brittany. She is her polite usual self but something is amiss. Her sentences are short and clipped. She seems uneasy too. Which is making me uneasy. I don't like what's going on at all. I thought we were friend but she is acting like I am nothing but just a waitress at her favorite diner.

I give the order to the kitchen staff and return to the dining room. A table of mine in the corner looks like they are done with there meal, so I go over to them and give them the check. I also check up on a few other table of customers. I clean up a table from a group that just left, bringing the dirty dishes to the kitchen to be cleaned, and then wiping down the table with my washcloth.

Back in the kitchen I wait for Brittany's food to be ready. I am the one avoiding Brittany now. I am nervous and my palms are sweaty. I rub them on my apron trying- but failing- to keep them dry. Even though it makes me nervous I have to figure out what's going on with Brittany and where her and I stand.

When her cheeseburger is ready I grab that plate and the plate of salad in each hand. I make it back to Brittany with her meal and set it down on the counter.

Brittany takes a hold of her fork and stabs at her salad. "Thanks." She says looking down at her food.

"I haven't seen you in awhile." Since we went camping last weekend. Since, Sunday morning when she dropped me off at my car.

She pauses her movements but doesn't look up. She nods.

"I haven't heard from you either." I add.

She looks up and her eyes are dark and squinty. "You could have called or texted me."

I nod dumbly. Brittany's right. But, that's not what I really meant. I meant why hasn't she called or texted me. I half-expected her to after last weekend.

There's a long pause. And Brittany starts eating her salad again. I walk away and tend to my other customers. When I come back Brittany has her salad finished and is halfway through her cheeseburger.

"Is everything alright?" I ask as bravely as I can but there is a little waver in my voice. "You know, between us." I flick my wrist between myself and her.

Brittany finishes chewing the bite in her mouth. "Yeah, everything's fine." She says and takes another bite of her nearly finished burger.

"Then why do I feel like I'm getting the cold shoulder." I ask the question and I can hear the bite in my voice. I don't want to get mad at her but I find that I am.

Brittany puts the last bite of her burger down and wipes her face with her napkin. "Listen, Santana, camping was fun but I'm gonna be real honest right now. I want to be your friend. And I am. And you are mine but I need some time."

"What?" I ask in confusion. What is she talking about? Time for what? Did I miss something?

I watch as Brittany gives me a sad smile, then shrugs, and averts her gaze to the far corner of the room. When she speaks again it's with a dimness, a stillness, a sadness, in her voice.

"To get over the crush I have on you." She says with a far away look on her face. "You have a boyfriend and I can't be around you with the feelings that I have. I need some time to realize that you have a boyfriend and I need to get over my silly crush. I hope you understand." Her eyes flick back to mine for a brief second before they return to the opposite corner of the room again.

"I will still stop in to grab something to eat every now and then but we can't hang out like we did camping or at the bonfire. If you need anything, though, don't think twice about calling or texting me. I'm still your friend and if you need help with something or advice or anything, please, give me a call. Hopefully, after some time passes we can hang out again. I want that but I can't do it right now."

Brittany stops talking and clears her throat. "B-but-" I stammer.

"No but's." She tells me. "I'm sorry. I don't think I could control myself around you right now. And I believe it's best if we keep some distance. You have a boyfriend and I don't want to have anything to do with that. I don't want to get in the way of that. I don't want to cause any problems. I don't want to make you into a cheater- in his eyes or anyone else's."

I stand there in shock. I don't know what to say or do. I know I should say something. I should tell Brittany what I want. But, I'm still not sure what I want.

I want to tell Brittany that she's wrong. I want to tell her that I don't want to be with him. I want to tell her that I want to be with her. I want to tell her that I don't want to stop spending time with her, especially when it's just started. I don't want-

Brittany's voice brings me back and I don't say a single one of those things.

"The meal was very good. Thank you." She stands up and pulls a twenty out of her pants pocket and sets it on the table next to her nearly empty plate. "I'll see ya 'round." She waves her hand at her waist and turns to exit the building without another word.

I stand there for- I don't know how long. After what must be less than a minute I feel something touch my shoulder. I tear my eyes away from the door where they had been focused and look down at my right shoulder.

Janet's hand rests there. She stands behind me and squeezes at my shoulder. "Are you alright?" She asks in the most caring, gentle voice I've ever heard her use.

I shake my head. I finally get my feet to work, turn, and storm into the kitchen leaving Janet in my dust. My purse sits on the back counter and I am after my phone even though I'm not allowed to use it while I'm at work. But, I don't care right now. If I get fired for making the phone call that I'm about to make, it will be worth it.

I know what I need to do. I finally know what has to happen- what I want.

I yank my phone from my purse and dial the number. It rings once before he picks up.

"_Hey Santana, it's good to hear from you. How are you babe?"_ Puck uses his too sweet voice.

"Cut the crap Puckerman. I have something to tell you." I growl into the phone.

"_What is it, babe?"_ He asks oblivious to the venom in my voice.

"We're done." I say with a much finality as I can muster.

"_What?" _

I steel myself and say it again. "We're done. Through. Finished. Finito. I'm breaking up with your ass."

I pull the phone away from my ear. A faint _'you can't break up with me' _comes through the phone as I pull it away and hang up on him.

He will try to call me back right away. I know this. So, I shut my phone off and throw it back in my purse. I go back out into the diner to finish my shift.

I just want to call it quits for the day and go home. I can't do that though. I am a big girl and I am working on being responsible. I have to stay through my whole shift even though I feel like an atomic bomb was just dropped on me.

A part of me feels terrible- the Brittany part of me. But, another part of me feels light and free- the Puck part of me. Both combined just make me feel anxious and sick.

I want to get home and think of what to do next. Do I try to find Brittany and tell her that I broke up with Puck? Do I let her come to me?

I know what I can do though, that's call Quinn and ask her for her advice. I also need to tell her what happened before Puck gets to her and starts asking questions or worse. I need to tell Quinn all about Brittany too. Tell Quinn that she is the reason that I broke up with Puck.

I also just want to just go home and sleep away the rest of this day.

* * *

It's not until the next day that I call Quinn and tell her what's been going on.

"Hey, Q. What's up?" I greet.

"_Hmm. Why don't you tell me?" _She comes back with.

"So, I guess you talked to Puckerman."

"_Yep. He told me that you called him up and broke up with him. Is that correct?"_ She snips.

"Yeah. Geez, Quinn, who's side are you on?" I can't believe her right now. "You're my best friend. You're suppose to be on my side."

"_What is your side, Santana? You've been with Noah on and off since you were sixteen. I just assumed that this was it for you. That after college you would settle down with him and have a couple of kids."_

"I did too." I sigh. Because that's what I thought too.

"_So, what changed?" _Quinn asks quietly, her voice calmer and softer now.

I calm down too and speak in a much quieter voice than before. "I did. I think."

"_And why did you feel you had to break up with Puck?"_

It's really hard to talk about with everything that happened yesterday but I know that talking it over with Quinn will help and that I will feel better afterwards.

"Puck and I weren't working anymore. Plus, there's someone else." I whisper that last part. I know she hears me cuz there's silence on the other end of the phone as she processes the new information.

"_Someone you met this summer?"_

"Yeah. A couple of weeks ago. That's why I had to break if off with Puck. It's become more complicated then I could ever imagine and it took me awhile and a lot of soul searching and thinking- something happened and I knew that I had to break up with him. I think I was just scared to do so. We've been together for a long time. He's like my security blanket. And to let that go is scary. Also, she won't have anything to do with me as long as I have a boyfriend." I explain my circumstances the best that I can.

"_Excuse me?" _Quinn's voice gets higher then it previously was.

"What?"

"_Do you just say she?" _She practically squeaks into the phone.

I grin goofy. "Yup." I nod even though Quinn can't see me. "Like I said, I've changed. I've started to think about my life. Like, really, think about my life. Who I want to be? Who I want to be with? How I want to feel? Quinn, she makes me so happy and she makes me feel like I'm special. Puck never made me feel special. Brittany makes me feel different. I don't know, I just feel really good when I'm around her."

I am greeted with silence on the other end.

I look at the phone screen to make sure the call wasn't dropped. "Q, are you still there?"

"_Yeah."_

"Well, say something." I prod.

"_I don't know what to say. Santana, I'm speechless."_

I giggle. I can imagine Quinn laying on her bed with her phone wedges between her ear and her shoulder while she paints her fingernails, her mouth hanging open dumbly.

"_So, you're serious about this? Switching teams like this?"_

"It's so totally not about that. It's not because Brittany is a girl and is smoking hot and is a total badass. Cuz she is, but it's about her- who she is. It's about the way she makes me feel and how I want her to feel the same way. It's about a connection on a deeper level than just the physical. Although, the physical is pretty damn great. I don't know what's going to happen but I want the opportunity to see if something can happen. And I realized that I can't do that with Puck still attached to me." I try to explain to her. I don't know if Quinn understands but I really hope that she does.

"_I see. Well, it sounds like this living at the summer home has done a lot for you. I'm glad."_

I smile because now I know that I have Quinn on board with me in this journey.

"_Do I get to meet this girl when I come next week?"_

"I don't know." Her question brings down my happy spirits. "I don't know when I am gonna get to see Brittany again. She kinda came into the diner and broke up with me. She said we couldn't hang out knowing that I had a boyfriend. She said she didn't trust herself being around me."

"_Santana, did you cheat on Puck?"_

"No! Well, not really." I tell Quinn, feeling guilty all of a sudden.

"_What the hell does that mean?" _Quinn squawks through the phone.

"We kissed. Twice." I tell her honestly and bite down on my lip waiting for what she is gonna say next.

"_Well, good thing you broke up with Puck then." _She laughs airily.

I laugh deep from my belly. "When we went camping I told Brittany that she had to meet you when you came. She said she would."

"_Santana Lopez, you went camping?"_ Quinn sounds scandalized.

"Yeah, Brittany took me camping last weekend. It was so much fun." I grin like a fool.

"_Holy shit, this girl must be magic."_

"She is." I say dreamily. Brittany is like a dream come true. "I will text her and make arrangements for a meeting. You're gonna love her."

"_I can only imagine." _Quinn comments. _"Well, as great as it is to hear about your crazy, crazy life I gotta go help my mom with lunch. Sunday bonding time and whatnot."_

I laugh. "Okay, Q. Thanks. Have fun with your mom. I will see you on Thursday."

"_Yep, see ya Thursday. I'll text before I leave town. Okay? Bye."_

"Okay. Bye." I hang up the phone and sigh. Maybe things won't be so bad. Maybe Quinn can meet Brittany and they can be friends too. Maybe I can convince Brittany to hang out before then. Maybe I can… Maybe it's all wishful thinking.


End file.
